Outside Animals NOT Protected By Idaho Laws

How is it that when freezing temperatures keep dropping there is NOTHING, no laws here in Idaho to protect animals that we have brought in to our homes and committed to protect and help? Yep. It’s true. And some owners just don’t care.

I write about this every year and will continue to do so until the laws here in Idaho change.

A lot of states across America are implementing laws that make it illegal to leave your pet outside in extreme conditions.  Most of them say something to the effect of, “you cannot leave an animal outside for more than 30 minutes in temperatures above 90 degrees or below 32 degrees between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., or during wind, rain, snow, ice, sleet, or hail unless the animal has unlimited access to proper shelter.”

Guess what? Here in Idaho we have no such law.   Yeah.  Kind of crazy and I’m not sure why we’re lagging behind so much but the truth of it is… we’re just not looking out for these poor, helpless creatures as much as we should be.

This isn’t the only area we’re NOT protecting pets. It’s actually illegal to bust out someone’s window in extreme heat situations with a pet inside a car. Yep. You’ll most likely find yourself with a hefty fine and if it happens multiple times you could even spend some time behind bars.  

The Idaho Humane Society does have a few laws that kind of protect these animals but there is nothing specific that stops owners from leaving their pets in extreme cold or hot temperatures outside for long periods of time.

We need to do better. It’s just that simple. This needs to take priority and laws need to change.