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Posted by The Huron Hub on Thursday, March 5, 2020

State Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D-Brownstown) introduced a bill Wednesday that aims to protect Michigan dogs during periods of extreme weather.

Camilleri’s House Bill 5577 prevents dogs from being tied up and left outside for more than 30 minutes when temperatures exceed 90 degrees, or fall below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

“In the freezing winter months, we hear too often of unnecessary deaths when dogs are left outside,” said Camilleri in a statement. “Unlike many other states, Michigan doesn’t have any laws to prevent pets from being left out in extreme conditions, and this bill would finally address this issue and add much-needed protections for defenseless animals across our state.”

Camilleri said that even though there are no current Michigan laws prohibiting owners from leaving dogs outside in extreme temperatures, states like Nevada, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Texas, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts have all enacted specific weather-related statutes.

Camilleri said the bill closely mirrors Libre’s Law in Pennsylvania, which was enacted in 2017 to better protect dogs in dangerous weather conditions.

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