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A new bill signed into law on Tuesday will increase penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty and also will ban sales of animals on roadsides and in parking lots.
On Tuesday Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 917, authored by Senator Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), which prohibits the sale of animals on streets, in parking lots and from other similar public venues, and increases the penalty for animal cruelty by neglect to up to one year of incarceration.
“Current health and safety regulations for animal sales do not apply to roadside sales, which means young animals are being sold that are often mistreated, ill or diseased and there’s no way to track the seller,” Lieu said after the vote. “My law will remove the link between illegal puppy mills and the public by restricting the sale of pet animals on roadsides, parking lots and other outdoor venues.”
In addition, SB 917 will impose more consistent penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty and animal neglect by allowing a maximum sentence of up to one year in county jail for animal neglect and a fine of up to $20,000.
“Animal abuse is generally divided into two main categories: Animal cruelty, and animal neglect,” Lieu said. “Animal cruelty usually refers to a single act of harm on an animal. Animal neglect usually causes suffering that’s more extended or prolonged. Whether an animal is tortured or starved, too often the result is death. Either way, it’s a horrible way to die, and the penalties should be consistent.”
Lieu’s measure is co-sponsored by the State Humane Association of California, the Humane Society of the United States, the American SPCA and the SPCA Los Angeles.
Jennifer Fearing, California senior state director for The Humane Society of the United States praised the governor’s enactment, “With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Brown has significantly improved animal and consumer protection in California. We are grateful for his humane leadership.”
“Allowing puppies, kittens and other pets to be sold with no requirements for basic humane treatment has caused these animals to suffer in unsanitary and crowded cages and to go without food and water, even in extreme heat,” said Jill Buckley, senior director of Government Relations for the ASPCA. “Sen. Lieu's legislation corrects this and recognizes that neglecting an animal’s basic needs is a terrible form of animal abuse which should be taken seriously.”
Buckley added, “Criminal animal cruelty by neglect may be less obvious than the acts of torture that grab headlines, but it is more common and the abuse is more prolonged as the animal slowly suffers. California's laws did not sufficiently protect the animal victims of neglect, but Gov. Brown recognizes that failing to provide for an animal’s basic needs is a terrible form of cruelty which should be taken seriously.”
Lieu’s measure takes effect Jan. 1, 2012.
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