Target: Jill Krowinski, Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
Goal: Back reforms to state’s out-of-date animal welfare system.
In 2024, Vermont strengthened its track record on animal welfare by making a substantial new addition to its public safety department: an animal welfare division. This division was created for the sole purpose of coordinating and better enforcing the state’s response to animal cruelty, regarding both pets and farm animals. The department’s first director has begun building a substantial plan of action that will require legal implementation.
Compelled by cases such as the inadequate care offered to eight dogs seized in a cruelty investigation and the deaths of dozens of reportedly malnourished farm horses and goats, the director unveiled a sweeping agenda for change. But lawmakers largely ignored the agenda. With several new bills on the table (including stronger animal cruelty penalties and updates to animal forfeiture law), they have an opportunity to rectify their seeming indifference.
Sign the petition below to demand Vermont’s legislature honor an oath to fix its badly outdated animal welfare system.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Krowinski,
Division of Animal Welfare Director Lisa Milot presented a reasoned and comprehensive plan of action to resolve many of the issues her division was created (by popular demand) to address. Yet in this plan that tackled everything from regional response teams to enhanced education to bringing more heinous offenses under animal cruelty statutes, the Vermont legislature only saw fit to do the bare minimum. This lackadaisical and careless approach to a matter deemed relevant to public safety must end.
You have yourself surrounded by dogs in your official pictures, so demonstrate your love for animals is not just a play for votes. Give your full support to current bills like the centralized animal cruelty reporting system and animal forfeiture cost of care. And take a harder look at Director Milot’s proposal and identify where this state’s lawmakers can help fulfill her vision of a Vermont safe for all vulnerable living beings.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Bulat Khamitov
