Paws Up

A Home State Special Report

The state of West Virginia—home base to NHES’s national office—has several important animal welfare bills before county and state legislators for the 2010 legislative year! From anti-dog fighting measures to increased spay/neuter efforts, each of these bills has the potential for huge positive change for companion animals in the mountain state.

WV Residents: read more below and take action! Not in West Virginia? Please forward this webpage to any contacts you have in the mountain state—we thank you!

Berkeley County: write the below county officials urging their support of a proposed ordinance to regulate dog tethering in the county. Click here to read the PDF (scroll down to Section II B. of the ordinance to read the proposed amendments to current law). The county commission is scheduled to vote on this measure April 1^st, 2010.

• William Stubblefield    wstubblefield@berkeleycountycomm.org
• Ron Collins, President   rcollins@berkeleycountycomm.org
• Anthony Petrucci          apetrucci@berkeleycountycomm.org

State-wide: write your legislators urging their support of the following bills currently before WV congress (please send separate comments for each bill. For more tips, click here):

Anti-Animal Fighting

SB 380

To amend current WV law against animal fighting by classifying the bloodsport as a felony offense and clarifying what activities constitute participation, to include wagering. Penalties for a felony conviction under this bill include fines, imprisonment, or both.

SB 208 and HB 4216

To amend current WV law against animal fighting by making it a felony offense to wager in or manage wagers in animal fighting. Penalties for a felony conviction under this bill include fines, imprisonment, or both.

Spay/Neuter Initiatives

SB 231

To amend current WV tax law creating “a personal income tax credit for persons who choose to spay or neuter their pets.” Under this bill, WV taxpayers will be able to claim a tax credit for “up to three companion animals, dogs and cats, per household in a taxable year.”

SB 225 and HB 4406

To amend current WV commercial law to fund the creation of a spay/neuter program. Under this bill, the commissioner will set “an additional commercial feed distributor permit fee of not less than $5 per year…for the purposes of funding the Spay Neuter Assistance Program of West Virginia.”

Puppy Mill Regulations

HB 4333

To amend current WV dog and cat welfare law by adding a section creating “regulations for the commercial dog breeding operations.” This important bill establishes vital criteria to include, but not limited to: mandatory licensing, housing and breeding standards of care, and yearly caps on dogs bred and sold. Penalties for violations under this bill will include fines, imprisonment, or both.