Another session of the WV State Legislature has passed with no bill for animal welfare passed. Everyone thinks we need more laws to help animals. In some cases, we do. We also need the enforcement of the laws we have. There are areas of ambiguity within the code like the definition of shelter for outside dogs. We are told by officials that it is too vague to be enforced unless the dog is suffering so much that it is obvious. When the dog is close to death or freezing then we get support for the law to be enforced. It took a lot of effort to get ‘protect from the elements of the weather’ included in the code 61-8-19.. There was more proposed and this clause was what was not stripped out. It used to simply say ‘shelter’ in the code. It is not sufficient and it needs defined. There was another shelter bill introduced in 2016 which gained some momentum but not enough. There were several bills introduced in the 2024 session that addressed this but the one that caught our interest was SB 314 but due to its lack of support during the session, it stayed in committee. (You can see a copy of SB 314 on WVVAW.org or at the WV Legislative Website)
Often bills get introduced as a courtesy to a local constituent. If bills do not get helped & nurtured they simply remain in committee and languish like the majority of other bills that never pass. If you have an interest in a bill, you have to get involved, get others involved, write to your legislators, post on social media, travel to Charleston to see them in person, make phone calls. Sounds like a lot of effort, doesn’t it? Well, it definitely is. That is why only a small portion of bills actually make it through to passage and becoming law.
Carri’s wish to change the law is how I connected with Carri Welsh. I found her story fascinating and inspiring since she made things happen in her area. Carri’s story follows below. FOHO has always believed that you should make a difference in your area. If we all did that, what a better world for animals it would be. Carrie did that and then decided to take that success statewide. That is a more complicated effort and she will need your assistance with that.
Join Carri’s Facebook group page if you are interested in helping. It is a private group.
Advocates Improving WV Animal Legislation
https://www.facebook.com/groups/924880585951407
Carri’s Story:
A few years ago, I decided to do something completely out of my comfort zone in hopes that I could help protect the chained dogs in my community. No dog deserves to live chained to a box with the bare minimum to survive. When attempting to work with the police or dog warden about neglected animals being left outside in extreme cold or heat, I got tired of hearing “Well there’s not much we can do, it’s not against the law.” So, I decided to try and change the law.
It all started in 2019 when a friend contacted me about getting signatures for a petition to help pass better laws on a county level through the Brooke County Commission. A local lawyer had been working for months to create an ordinance to protect horses and tethered dogs. After many revisions she was able to get an ordinance passed that made specifications on how to properly tether & what was considered acceptable shelter, but was disappointed it missed the mark with a vague severe weather clause. We all wanted set temperatures so the law would be clear & unquestionable but the commission wouldn’t budge on that. I decided if the county would not pass it maybe the cities would? I went to many city council meetings & was able to get 4 cities within my county to add set temps with a no tether in severe weather ordinance. At one city council meeting, I had the pleasure of meeting Laura Wakim Chapman who at that time was running for District 1 Senator. She was excited about what I was doing and loved the idea of making better laws to protect animals. She told me if she got elected she would be happy to work with me on trying to do this on the state level. And she has kept her word. She introduced SB 314 this year which includes the same severe weather law I was able to get passed here in parts of Brooke County, as well as, mush needed specifics on proper sheltering. This year the bill didn’t make it out of committee but I am hoping if we can get enough people to speak up and support this bill for next year it might have a chance.
I am also hoping to inspire people to do what I did, go to your county commissioners, your city council representatives, change the laws where you are! If we can get enough ordinances passed throughout the state maybe the senators & house representatives will consider creating some uniformity across the state. I am happy to support you in this endeavor if you choose to embark on it, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Let’s join Carri in making a difference. Together we can make it happen! Join her Facebook group (private group) and assist our mutual effort! Here is the Brooke County Ordinance Carri worked to pass. There are also ones for Wellsburg and Weirton with varying degrees of support from Carri.