Be an Advocate
Join Us. Be a Voice for Animals.
We fight for Arizona’s pets! We believe to create real change, it’s not enough to simply educate people on how to humanely care for pets. From strengthening local and national laws against animal abuse to creating new municipal codes to prevent overpopulation and neglect, the Arizona Humane Society advances legislation to protect pets and advocates to fight cruelty and neglect. We partner with local, state and national organizations to support important legislation to better protect pets. Ensuring there are strong penalties for those who harm animals provides our investigators the tools they need to make Arizona a safer place for pets.
Get Involved: Advocacy is about action. Whether an email, call, social media post or attending in person, your voice matters.
We thank you for joining us as the voice for animals.
Resources for Animal Advocates
- Identify and contact your elected officials: You just need your address to find your local, state and federal representatives.
- Arizona animal cruelty laws: Learn more about Arizona’s current animal welfare laws.
- Guide to effective advocacy communications: Get tips to ensure that your communication is powerful.
- Help stop animal abuse: Download a guide to find out more about how you can make a difference for pets.
Our Impact
The Arizona Humane Society led efforts which successfully resulted in the Chandler City Council approving significant revisions to the city’s animal cruelty ordinance. The updates outline additional situations in which an animal may be taken into custody and guarantee that each of these instances will be presented before a court to assess whether the animal was subjected to abuse.
The Arizona Humane Society and the Humane Society of Southern Arizona led efforts to successfully pass SB 1053, a bill that allows a veterinarian to establish a veterinary-client relationship through telemedicine, providing greater access to veterinary medicine throughout the state. Sponsored by Senator T.J. Shope, SB1053 was signed into law by Governor Katie Hobbs on May 9, 2023.
AHS led efforts to successfully pass SB 1271, a bill to help address a severe shortage of veterinarians in our state. SB 1271 provides a student loan reimbursement of up to $100,000 to new veterinarians who must work at least two years at a municipal, county, or nonprofit shelter like AHS or in an agricultural practice designated by the USDA.
- It’s now a Class 1 misdemeanor to be involved with animal fighting paraphernalia thanks to a new law.
- A law was passed that provides landlords the ability to help retrieve pets from an apartment in the event the tenant dies.
- Animal abusers will now face stronger penalties in the worst cases of abuse – the ones where abusers intentionally and knowingly inflict cruel mistreatment. Animal cruelty charges were increased from a Class 6 to Class 5 felony, meaning these cases can no longer be dropped to a misdemeanor and also include the possibility of jail time and supervised probation/treatment.
- Law stiffened so protections for animals now include protections against harassment of working animals (for example, police dogs left in a vehicle).
- Law enacted allowing Good Samaritans to rescue a child or pet from a hot car without risk of civil liability.
- Tax check-off box created, allowing for a voluntary contribution to Spay/Neuter Fund – in 2019, this fundraised more than $180,000.
- City of Glendale animal cruelty ordinance enacted to include a ban on tethering, ventilation requirements, adequate space for exercise and more.
- Greyhound racing banned in Arizona
- Breed-based laws banned in Arizona
- Salt River Wild Horses protected
- City of Phoenix adopts tethering and hoarding ordinances
- SB 1053 mandates spay/neuter for all shelter pets
- Pet-friendly license plate created
New animal cruelty laws designate certain cases of felony offenses and harsher penalties for abusers
Cockfighting outlawed in Arizona
Shoka’s Law (Puppy Lemon Law) passed making pet store owners responsible for sale they know were born with defects or are ill
Abuse laws extended to stray animals
Dog Fighting Law makes dog-fighting illegal in Arizona
City of Phoenix ordinance that prohibits leaving dogs in cars on hot days