Monday, on Mobile radio's FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," State Rep. Jennifer Fidler (R-Silverhill) discussed recently passed legislation intended to protect dogs living outdoors in Alabama.
SB361, or Beau's Law, specifically requires K-9 owners to provide adequate shelter, water, food, and care while their dog or dogs are tethered. If conditions stipulated by law are not met, dogs may be removed, and misdemeanor criminal charges may be filed against the owner.
Throughout the process of passing the bill, several amendments were added, according to Fidler, including outlining what constitutes a commercial breeder and defining a full enclosure.
RELATED: Alabama House passes Beau's Law to establish mandatory minimum care standards for outdoor dogs
"We ended up being put on the House floor for us to vote on, and with the controversy surrounding it, there was a point where there were so many amendments, one of my colleagues said that he'd been serving in the legislature for so many years, and had not seen eight different amendments on a bill that came to the House floor," said Fidler. "Just needed some more work. I sat back there and listened to all the debate, and I said, I think I understand this. I know what we can do to fix this, and that would be to allow the municipalities or counties to opt into this. Some places in this state have an issue. Some places it's obvious that the DAs are able to handle the animal abuse out there that's going on with our current laws."
She added, "So where there is an issue, let's allow them to opt into some sort of being able to take care of this issue."
After passing the Senate, the House approved the bill by a vote of 69-23, with 9 abstentions.
Beau's Law goes into effect on October 1, 2026.
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