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Urge Mississippi Lawmakers to Step Up for Cruelly Tethered Animals

Urge Mississippi Lawmakers to Step Up for Cruelly Tethered Animals

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

2020 was a historic year for Mississippi's dogs and cats with the passage of legislation that increases penalties for animal cruelty to them. While we're thrilled with the change, there's still a lot that needs to be done for animal companions in the state. Now, we're urging Senator Angela Hill to add another layer of protection by introducing legislation that will protect animals from tethering.

Despite the pandemic's influence on the 2020 legislative session, Sen. Angela Hill and 14 of her colleagues passed SB 2658, which was signed by Gov. Tate Reeves in July. This much-needed legislation amended the Mississippi Dog and Cat Protection Law of 2011 to increase penalties for animal cruelty, allowing for a felony charge for a first offense rather than only after a previous conviction within 5 years. It also allowed charges for each animal harmed, whereas before it was limited to only one charge filed regardless of how many animals were harmed.

We worked very hard with other animal advocates in Mississippi to see this happen, but our work is far from done. We're all regularly inundated with calls requesting aid for dogs - and even sometimes cats - who are kept tethered, or chained.

We recently launched a Break the Chains campaign to raise awareness about the issue, and offer resources to people about how harmful this practice is. Not only does tethering dogs pose a serious risk to the physical and emotional wellbeing of the dogs themselves, it poses a serious threat to public safety.

Dogs, who are especially social beings, are often left on tethers without shelter, or access to food and water, and may be left there indefinitely — in many tragic cases, for their entire lives. They suffer from behavioral issues and aggression, and are at serious risk of physical injuries, such as embedded collars or neck injuries — especially if heavy tow chains are used — and if they become entangled or strangled. They're also at serious risk of death by hangings.

In Defense of Animals

As we work to change attitudes about our animal companions, and encourage people to treat them like beloved family members, we're also working to change the laws protecting them.

We have an opportunity to forge a more humane life for the countless dogs who suffer on heavy, short, and defective tethers and chains, who crawl under trailers or vehicles for shelter, and those who are confined in the blazing sun and penetrating cold.

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

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