Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  what is the process for getting local laws changed

    Posted 02-12-2023 08:16 PM

    I want laws to be specific    instead of a dog needs shelter            I think shelter needs to be spelled out as to what is acceptable       those kinds of things


    #LawsandPublicPolicy

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    Sandy Cole
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  • 2.  RE: what is the process for getting local laws changed

    Posted 02-13-2023 08:44 AM

    Hi Sandy,

    You may have already done this, but a good place to start is to look up what your state laws and local ordinances on animal care. 

    Typically your state will have a set of standards, and any local laws will need to be more restrictive than those standards.  You may find that even if your local laws aren't specific, the state law actually does have specific needs spelled out already.  Every state has a list of statutes online that can usually be searched by specific terms like dog or animal.

    Local ordinances vary city by city, but are almost always online in a book of statutes/ordinances as well.  In some cases you may find that the specifics you're looking for are already spelled out, they're just not well enforced.

    If you don't have specifics spelled out at the state or local level, or the ones you have don't go far enough, the next step would be finding somewhere that does have those things spelled out.  Governments at all levels hate reinventing the wheel or adding more restrictions without good reason.  Being able to have pre-written language of what you want it to look like, and a solid example of why they might want to make this change will be very helpful.

    For local laws, the next step would be getting a hold of your trustee/alder that represents where you live (or just the one you think will be most helpful).  Set up some time to go talk with that person, express your concerns and present the information above.  If you feel comfortable with that person, ask them about what they think the next steps should be.  That might be them presenting something to the full town board, or it might be having you go start reaching out to other city leadership to get as many people on board from the start.

    If you don't have any city officials willing to spend any time on this, then you need to start building public support.  Even a relatively small group of people can make a big impact at a town meeting as there often aren't more than a few people from the public who show up, depending on the size of your municipality.

    I'm attaching a copy of Wisconsin's state statutes on animal care.  It's not the most comprehensive set of animal laws out there, but it does get a little more specific about what the housing and environmental requirements should be.

    I'm also attaching a copy of the support sheet we provide to law enforcement when we're assisting with animal issues.  Often times individual officers aren't as well versed on animal issues and so being able to have a support sheet of the statutes and the penalties can be a motivator to encourage better enforcement.



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    Jeff Okazaki
    Humane Society of Jefferson County
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    Attachment(s)



  • 3.  RE: what is the process for getting local laws changed

    Posted 02-13-2023 10:39 AM
    thanks      some of the counties in GA are lacking in descent laws    they just say provide shelter, no definition of what shelter is     so these need to be changed for the benefit of the pet

    On Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 11:45 AM Jeff Okazaki via Maddie's Pet Forum <Mail@maddiesfund.org> wrote:
    Hi Sandy, You may have already done this, but a good place to start is to look up what your state laws and local ordinances on animal care.  ...
    Maddie's Pet Forum

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    Re: what is the process for getting local laws changed
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    Feb 13, 2023 8:44 AM  |    view attached
    Jeff Okazaki

    Hi Sandy,

    You may have already done this, but a good place to start is to look up what your state laws and local ordinances on animal care. 

    Typically your state will have a set of standards, and any local laws will need to be more restrictive than those standards.  You may find that even if your local laws aren't specific, the state law actually does have specific needs spelled out already.  Every state has a list of statutes online that can usually be searched by specific terms like dog or animal.

    Local ordinances vary city by city, but are almost always online in a book of statutes/ordinances as well.  In some cases you may find that the specifics you're looking for are already spelled out, they're just not well enforced.

    If you don't have specifics spelled out at the state or local level, or the ones you have don't go far enough, the next step would be finding somewhere that does have those things spelled out.  Governments at all levels hate reinventing the wheel or adding more restrictions without good reason.  Being able to have pre-written language of what you want it to look like, and a solid example of why they might want to make this change will be very helpful.

    For local laws, the next step would be getting a hold of your trustee/alder that represents where you live (or just the one you think will be most helpful).  Set up some time to go talk with that person, express your concerns and present the information above.  If you feel comfortable with that person, ask them about what they think the next steps should be.  That might be them presenting something to the full town board, or it might be having you go start reaching out to other city leadership to get as many people on board from the start.

    If you don't have any city officials willing to spend any time on this, then you need to start building public support.  Even a relatively small group of people can make a big impact at a town meeting as there often aren't more than a few people from the public who show up, depending on the size of your municipality.

    I'm attaching a copy of Wisconsin's state statutes on animal care.  It's not the most comprehensive set of animal laws out there, but it does get a little more specific about what the housing and environmental requirements should be.

    I'm also attaching a copy of the support sheet we provide to law enforcement when we're assisting with animal issues.  Often times individual officers aren't as well versed on animal issues and so being able to have a support sheet of the statutes and the penalties can be a motivator to encourage better enforcement.



    ------------------------------
    Jeff Okazaki
    Humane Society of Jefferson County
    ------------------------------
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    Original Message:
    Sent: 2/13/2023 11:44:00 AM
    From: Jeff Okazaki
    Subject: RE: what is the process for getting local laws changed

    Hi Sandy,

    You may have already done this, but a good place to start is to look up what your state laws and local ordinances on animal care. 

    Typically your state will have a set of standards, and any local laws will need to be more restrictive than those standards.  You may find that even if your local laws aren't specific, the state law actually does have specific needs spelled out already.  Every state has a list of statutes online that can usually be searched by specific terms like dog or animal.

    Local ordinances vary city by city, but are almost always online in a book of statutes/ordinances as well.  In some cases you may find that the specifics you're looking for are already spelled out, they're just not well enforced.

    If you don't have specifics spelled out at the state or local level, or the ones you have don't go far enough, the next step would be finding somewhere that does have those things spelled out.  Governments at all levels hate reinventing the wheel or adding more restrictions without good reason.  Being able to have pre-written language of what you want it to look like, and a solid example of why they might want to make this change will be very helpful.

    For local laws, the next step would be getting a hold of your trustee/alder that represents where you live (or just the one you think will be most helpful).  Set up some time to go talk with that person, express your concerns and present the information above.  If you feel comfortable with that person, ask them about what they think the next steps should be.  That might be them presenting something to the full town board, or it might be having you go start reaching out to other city leadership to get as many people on board from the start.

    If you don't have any city officials willing to spend any time on this, then you need to start building public support.  Even a relatively small group of people can make a big impact at a town meeting as there often aren't more than a few people from the public who show up, depending on the size of your municipality.

    I'm attaching a copy of Wisconsin's state statutes on animal care.  It's not the most comprehensive set of animal laws out there, but it does get a little more specific about what the housing and environmental requirements should be.

    I'm also attaching a copy of the support sheet we provide to law enforcement when we're assisting with animal issues.  Often times individual officers aren't as well versed on animal issues and so being able to have a support sheet of the statutes and the penalties can be a motivator to encourage better enforcement.



    ------------------------------
    Jeff Okazaki
    Humane Society of Jefferson County
    ------------------------------