Rally garners support for animal cruelty bill
Published 6:00 pm Wednesday, January 29, 2025
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A rally at the State House in Montgomery Wednesday is garnering support for proposed legislation aimed to protect Alabama pets from animal cruelty.
The gathering set for Feb. 5 is an effort to raise awareness and support for a bill introduced by Rep. Phillip Ensler (D-Montgomery). Known as the Alabama Dog Tethering and Outdoor Shelter Act, the legislation, if signed into law, would ban tethering animals outdoors and without shelter and mandate dog owners provide their pets with habitable living space.
Lowndes County resident Melissa Peak said the rally is a chance to gain support for the bill and for an issue which has plagued the area she calls home for a long time. Alabama law mandates every county have a shelter for strays, but Lowndes County has none.
With no animal shelter or rescue group in the area, abused, abandoned and neglected pets in the area are left at the mercy of a handful of citizens willing to help them.
“Many people will say, ‘Yes, I want to participate in this,’” Peak said. “But when it comes time to do the work, they don’t show up. Even if the commission found us space, we need people who are willing to care for the animals. It’s been a challenge getting people to engage.”
The rally is planned to foster engagement for grass-roots pet rescue efforts and legislation to curb animal abuse.
“The bill addresses the matter of animal abuse,” Peak said. “I’ve gotten calls from individuals in Lowndes County who have witnessed dogs tied up on very short leads and left out in the weather without proper, adequate shelter. We’ve seen ones that are starving while being on these tethers.
“This law is going to clarify in detail exactly what the proper manner of dog care is. The current animal rights laws do not address that whatsoever. This law will further define what humane treatment of an animal is and what I hope it will do is to give the Sheriff’s office more leverage to enforce laws among citizens in this community.”
The event is organized by Dean Hawkins and a group known as “Support Animals – Not ALFA.” According to Peak, ALFA Insurance and the Alabama Farmers Federation have opposed the bill. So far, the group has nearly 400 supporters committed to urge Alabama lawmakers to support the bill and protect the dogs that might otherwise die tied out in the cold.
Until then, the burden of curbing animal cruelty in Lowndes County falls on the shoulders of Lowndes County Sheriff Chris West.
“When there’s no animal control division, it falls on the sheriff’s office to enforce [animal cruelty laws],” Peak said.
The protest is set for 1 p.m. on the State House steps. Supporters should meet in the Paterson Field parking lot at 1215 Madison Avenue in Montgomery at 11:30 a.m. to shuttle to the rally location.
To learn more, visit the event’s social media page @Support Rep Enslers Proposed House Bill – Alabama Dog Tethering and Outdoor Shelter Act.