West Virginia Considers Additional Measures for the Protection of Companion Animals

West Virginia House Bill 2095 would require humane officers to investigate and inspect animal shelters annually and provide requirements that animal shelters must meet during such inspections. The bill would also remove a provision allowing for the use of gas chambers as a kind of “humane euthanasia,” require commercial dog breeders to provide purchasers with information related to the dog, set standards for primary enclosures kept by commercial dog breeders, provide for consumer protection measures for individual who purchase a dog from a commercial breeder, limit the tethering of companion animals, and prohibit animal hoarding. The bill also defines previously undefined terms relating to the proper care of animals.