Have you wondered what to do as an animal suffers in a locked car? There's a definitive answer. Backed by the protections of a law that Senator Mark Montigny, Representative Lori Ehrlich and I sponsored, "An Act Preventing Animal Suffering and Death." It allows citizens and officers to free animals confined in a locked car after making reasonable efforts to locate the vehicle’s owner. This law not only provides immunity from criminal or civil liability for those who take actions to release a trapped animal, it also sets penalties, up to $500, and possible criminal animal cruelty charges for owners who neglect animals in vehicles during extreme temperatures.
In the past several years the legislature has taken major steps to strengthen our animal welfare laws. We still have work to do, but there should be no doubt about our commitment to doing it.
