AKC Government Relations has tracked more than a dozen bills introduced in 2015 that would require owners accused (but not convicted) of cruelty to pre-pay for the care of the animals for the period of a trial. In many cases, if an individual is late with a payment or misses a payment, they permanently forfeit their dogs. These proposals are becoming significantly more common and increasingly draconian.
AKC Government Relations has called these the “guilty until proven innocent, at which point your dogs may already be gone” proposals. The requirements of these measures unfairly impact the economically disadvantaged and streamline the process to require owners to forfeit potentially valuable dogs.
An extreme example is LB 360 that passed in Nebraska. This states that if the court finds there is probable cause (not a conviction) of a violation that poses a threat to the dog, the court may order “appropriate disposition”, including sale, adoption or euthanasia. This is all prior to any court hearing.