In a bid to strengthen animal protection laws, Arizona legislators have reintroduced a bill that clarifies animal cruelty, neglect and mistreatment. Advocates say the bill’s clear definitions will help educate the public on proper animal care and strengthen law enforcement’s ability to address cruelty cases.
Senate Bill 1658, formerly SB 1234, specifies the actions and conditions that constitute animal cruelty. The proposed bill revises the definition of “cruel neglect,” setting clearer standards for providing food, water and shelter.
Arizona Sen. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, and the bill’s sponsor, said the bill makes sure “that we’re looking at the animal cruelty laws in a different light” than previously.
Current law says cruel neglect means a failure “to provide necessary food, water or shelter.” Under this definition, a puddle of dirty water could be considered adequate drinking water for animals, according to Joe Casados, Arizona Humane Society’s public relations and social media manager.
If passed, the bill will require that owners provide animals with “food that is appropriate for the species and that is fit for consumption, water that is suitable for drinking, as appropriate for the species,” and “except for a dog that primarily resides outdoors, access to shelter that is necessary and adequate.” The revised definition of cruel neglect also outlines shelter standards for dogs that primarily live outdoors.
Another part of the bill redefines animal protection law, saying a person commits animal cruelty if they “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly fail to provide medical attention necessary to prevent unreasonable suffering” to any domestic animal in their care. Current law limits this standard to cases of “protracted suffering.” SB 1658 addresses both.
Bolick and Casados said law enforcement officers and the county attorney requested the bill after a 2023 incident in Chandler that gained national attention.
In that case, Chandler police removed 55 live and five deceased animals from the home of April McLaughlin. According to a statement from the Arizona Humane Society, five of the rescued animals had to be euthanized due to their poor medical condition. According to authorities, McLaughlin ran a fraudulent rescue for animals with special needs from her home and solicited nearly $50,000 in donations.
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“It really highlighted where the flaws were in our current state law when it comes to animals and cruelty,” Casados said.
Absent a clear state law, some cities have enacted their own animal protection ordinances. Heather Nicely, executive director of the National Association of Companion Animal Rescues, said law enforcement officers have no clear understanding of animal protection law because of sparse training and confusion over city ordinances and state law. Those factors sometimes delay involvement by law enforcement in cruelty cases.
“If every city we’re going to has different laws in place, it makes the process slower, it makes things take longer, things fall through the cracks,” Casados said. “So having a standard, agreed-upon, bare minimum standard of care makes everyone’s lives a lot easier.”
Although the bill aims to aid law enforcement, Casados emphasized that it’s not meant to take people’s animals away. Rather, it’s a tool for educating the public on the adequate standards for animals in their care, he said.
“We have over 22,000 pets come through our doors each year,” he said. “We are not trying to get more pets to come through our door. Our goal is education first and to keep pets in homes as much as possible.”
For the most egregious cases, Casados said, the bill gets pets in dire need of medical help the attention they need as quickly as possible.
The bill was introduced during the last legislative session by Sen. Thomas Shope, R-Coolidge, but it did not pass. This session, it was introduced as SB 1234 with Bolick as the primary sponsor. The new version passed in the Senate but did not pass the House. Legislators were able to revive with a strike-everything amendment in another bill. Now SB 1658, the bill is in the House where it awaits a third read and final vote before it’s sent back to the Senate. Bolick said the bill has had bipartisan support each time it’s been up for consideration.
See our previous coverage of SB 1234 in the video player below:
