For this bill to pass, it must first pass through this committee, and then through the full Senate. Time is running out in this legislative session and Senator Steele has already killed three bills to crack down on dog fighting. We need to put a lot of pressure on Senator Steele and other members of the Senate to do the right thing.

As you may know, last year brought the largest dog fighting ring bust in Indiana history right in Steele’s district. We can’t allow the cruelty of animal fighting to continue in our state.

HB1258 will make it a felony to be a spectator at a dog fight and add it to the RICO statute making it easier to combat dog fighting in Indiana.

WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO:
If you live in Senator Steele’s district, call his office TODAY and ask him to hear the bill and pass it as written.

Phone#: 1.800.382.9467

If you are not in Steele’s district, you can contact your Senator and say the following:

“Hello, my name is _________________ and I am a constituent of Senator _____________’s from _________________ (city/town). HB 1258, the animal fighting bill, passed the House and is now awaiting a hearing in the Senate Committee on Corrections, Criminal, and Civil Matters. I would like to request that Senator ______________ please do all she/he can to assure that Senator Steele give this important bill a hearing. Thank You.”

If you’re not sure who represents you, follow this link: http://action.humanesociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=electedOfficials

This past week, the animal bill, HB 1258, passed out of committee with a strong bi-partisan vote of 11-0.

There were some minor changes to the bill while it was in committee, but it still addresses pet store posting/disclosure, dog fighting, and shelter for horses that is free of standing water. The latter was added as an amendment. You can read the full language of the bill here.

Next, the bill will have to pass through the full Indiana House of Representatives before going to the Senate. We will post on our blog to let you know when we will need to start making phone calls to legislators again.

For now, take a quick minute to call the members of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee and thank them for voting in favor of HB 1258. Your call doesn’t need to be long to make a big impact. Here is a template for what to say:

“Hello, my name is_______________. I am calling to thank Rep___________ for voting in favor of HB 1258, a bill to protect Indiana’s animals. I hope that Rep___________ will continue to support this bill as it moves through the process. Thank you again.”

Names and phone numbers of committee members to call:
Chair – Rep Pierce – 317-232-9647
Rep Dvorak – 317-234-9290
Rep Dembowski – 317-232-9676
Rep Porter – 317-232-9634
Rep Smith – 317-234-9016
Rep Tincher – 317-232-9999
Rep Koch – 317-232-9793
Rep Clements – 317-234-3827
Rep Foley – 317-232-9815
Rep Steuerwald – 317-232-9677
Rep Truitt – 317-234-3827

Yesterday marked the beginning of Puppy Mill Action Week (it also marked the beginning of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence), so expect to see a lot about puppy mills and what you can do to stop them in the coming days.

Here is a video from a recent undercover investigation that the Humane Society of the United States conducted in Virginia.

What you can do to shut down puppy mills:

• Adopt from local animal shelters and rescue organizations, never buy from pet stores, websites or newspaper ads
• Boycott pet stores that sell dogs; tell the store owners why you are boycotting them and have your friends do the same
• Write letters to the editor of your local newspapers
• Educate your friends and family
  Sign up for our free monthly email newsletter or volunteer list-serve to stay up-to-date on events, actions and legislation.
• Help end the status of animals as property. One easy way of doing this is to refer to yourself as a caretaker, guardian, companion or friend rather than as an “owner” or “master.” Much of the suffering on behalf of animals is due to their status as mere objects to be done with as their “owner” pleases.