I haven't posted in a while. I do it for myself and to keep the memories of my pups alive forever. I've decided to now include more animal related laws and news on here. I want to move to human rights and animal law in the near future because it's truly my passion. If anyone happens to read this who knows about these fields then I would appreciate any comments or suggestions for me to move forth in this new endeavor.
The article below is about a new law that helps animal shelters.
HARRISBURG - Animal shelters have greater legal recourse to seek
reimbursement for the costs of caring for abused animals under a new state
law.
When the law takes effect in September, shelters and local prosecutors will
be able to petition a Court of Common Pleas for an order requiring defendants to
pay reasonable costs associated with their animal being seized in a cruelty
case.
Reasonable costs are defined as up to $15 a day for each animal and necessary
medical care as determined by a veterinarian.
The law provides for a hearing within three weeks on a petition. If the
animal owner doesn't pay what the court orders, the animal would be legally
forfeited to the shelter and made available for adoption.
Until now, shelters have had to wait to seek reimbursement in these cases
until an owner is convicted of charges. Meanwhile, the shelters faced the burden
of paying costs up front while cases continue for months. And, the shelters do
not always getting full restitution in the end.
The Pennsylvania SPCA said it petitioned various courts for $744,000 in
restitution for costs of care last year, but received only $31,000.
This law will be a big help because sometimes it can take years before a
cruelty case is resolved in court, Cindy Starke, shelter manager of SPCA of
Luzerne County said on Friday. On one occasion, the shelter cared for nearly 100
animals brought there for safekeeping as a result of a hoarding case, she
added.
The society is caring for about a dozen cats and dogs pending court action in
cruelty cases, he said.
"Each year, hundreds of animals are seized by law enforcement and placed in
shelters as a result of animal abuse cases," said Rep. Brian Ellis, R-Lyndora,
the law's sponsor. "The shelters that take in these abused animals are typically
private, nonprofit organizations that rely heavily on donations to operate."
If an owner is found innocent, the law provides that the animals and sums
spent for care in the interval would be returned to him or her.
The law will shift the financial burden to those responsible for an animal's
suffering, support enforcement of animal cruelty laws and make it easier to find
new homes for abused animals, Jerry Buckley, CEO of the Pennsylvania SPCA,
said.
http://citizensvoice.com/news/new-law-helps-animal-shelters-1.1520395
