What is a timeline of animal rights laws?

Animal rights laws in Pennsylvania have been passed throughout the years to ensure animals are treated humanely and given adequate protection. The timeline of animal rights laws in Pennsylvania starts in 1895, when the General Assembly passed the Humane Society Act, which established the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA). The PSPCA was the first animal welfare organization in the country and it provided protections for animals and made sure owners were responsible for their animal’s wellbeing. In the 1970s, two additional laws were passed in Pennsylvania to protect animals. The first, the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1970, made it illegal to harm or neglect animals and it also established animal shelters and boarding kennels. This law was updated in 1982 to include harsher punishments, like fines and jail time, for animal abuse. The other law passed in the 70s, the Dog Law of 1973, focused on licensing and rabies vaccinations for owned dogs. This law was revised in 1984 to mandate that all cats and dogs adopted from a shelter in Pennsylvania be spayed or neutered. In 2004, the Pennsylvania Senate passed a law that made it illegal for an animal abuser to purchase an animal from a pet store or animal shelter and it also put restrictions on keeping wild animals. The law also provided funding for animal rescues, welfare organizations, and spay and neuter clinics. Today, animal welfare organizations in Pennsylvania are pushing for additional laws to strengthen animal rights protections. This includes the Animal Abuse Statute of 2020, which provides harsher punishments for those found guilty of animal cruelty and neglect.

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