Indiana bill to toughen animal cruelty laws goes to governor

Make it a felony to abuse or abandon an animal

 Governor Eric Holcomb has the chance to get tougher on animal abusers in Indiana. 

State Rep. Ryan Hatfield yesterday said his proposal to make it a felony to abuse or abandon an animal is heading for the governor's desk. 

Hatfield says the proposal is in response to the case of an Indianapolis man who let his dog freeze to death this past winter.  Prosecutors were only able to charge the man with a misdemeanor. 

The bill would also prohibit an animal control program, animal shelter or humane society from killing an animal by any means other than humane euthanasia, which is defined in the bill as the use of sodium pentobarbital or a derivative, to be administered in a manner that causes painless loss of consciousness and death.

Hatfield has spent three years trying to pass a bill that addresses how animal cruelty cases are treated.