The Connecticut Joint Planning and Development Committee made one substantive change to HB 5170 and released it favorably to the Legislative Commissioner’s Office for review. The office will examine the bill to ensure the text is clear, concise and constitutionally sound before advancing.
As detailed in the American Kennel Club’s (AKC’s) informational communication last month, the bill initially sought to amend the state’s current cruelty law by defining “adequate shelter” and banning the tethering of a dog in a manner that places it at adverse risk of injury by another animal or more than fifteen minutes without providing the dog continuous access to sanitary drinking water in a liquid state.
The committee’s substitute draft now recommends banning the tethering of a dog for more than fifteen minutes when a weather advisory or warning is issued by the National Weather Service – instead of when issued by local, state, or federal authorities, as previously drafted. Tethering of dogs would also be banned when outdoor environmental conditions pose an adverse risk to the health or safety of a dog based on such dog’s breed, size, age, thickness of coat, or physical condition.
AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) will provide additional information as developments warrant. For more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.