1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge immediate legislative action to address a widespread, critical form of animal abuse that is escalating due to our changing climate. Across our nation, particularly in rural areas, dogs and cats are routinely left to live outside in conditions that have become biologically unsustainable. With our planet experiencing unprecedented temperature increases of more than 40 extra days a year of 95 degree heat than in past generations. There are 35 more summer nights that don’t “cool down.” Especially the southern states. These temperatures will continually increase each year. An outdoor environment is no longer sustainable for our pets. Every single moment this crisis goes unaddressed, dogs and cats are actively being tortured. The traditional outdoor dog house acts as a dangerous and unsafe living environment that is not protecting them in any way from extreme weather elements. We must collectively recognize a fundamental scientific truth: dogs and cats possess a complex central nervous system (CNS) just like humans, and they feel intense heat, and freezing temperatures exactly as we do. They are subjected to severe thunderstorms and flooding. Forcing these sentient animals to live outside permanently is inherently abusive. The dog's instinct is to mask the pain they are feeling, when in fact they are suffering. Our pets can not provide for themselves and are dependent on us. They are living beings that feel pain and suffer in silence because they have no protection or voice. Please be their voice. Therefore, I am asking Congress to immediately introduce and support comprehensive animal welfare legislation that achieves the following goals: • Implement a Ban on Doghouses as Primary Shelter: Phase out the use of outdoor dog houses—including those covered with canopies, tarps, or temporary structures—as a legally permissible means of permanent confinement. Traditional outdoor sheltering is no longer safe. • Mandate Safe Indoor Spaces: Require that domestic dogs and cats be provided a safe, climate-controlled space inside the home where they can have their emotional, mental and physical needs met. Companion pets can no longer be labeled as property, they are family and need to be treated as such. • Establish a Dedicated Rural Animal Task Force: Create and fund specialized units to patrol rural areas. Functioning alongside standard animal control officers, this task force will actively monitor properties and track individuals who may be abusing their animals physically and emotionally by leaving them outside alone in hazardous conditions. Currently police officers will go and do an animal welfare check after a 911 call. This task force would focus our police back to their main job of protecting our citizens and upholding the law. • Enforce Harsher Criminal Penalties: Elevate the legal consequences for individuals who leave their pets exposed to extreme elements. I want to see harsher jail time and steeper fines implemented nationwide to serve as a true deterrent against this form of abuse. Create a nationwide database of pet abuse registry. All criminals are registered and no longer able to have contact with a pet. Our laws must evolve to reflect both our current climate reality and our understanding of animal biology. Protecting these vulnerable companions from preventable suffering is a matter of basic human decency. Thank you for your time, leadership, and dedication to strengthening our nation's animal welfare laws.