R.I. ranks ninth for animal-protection laws

PROVIDENCE – The Animal Legal Defense Fund has ranked Rhode Island the ninth-best state in the nation in its 2014 U.S. Animal Protection Laws Ranking Report. According to a news release, the ranking puts Rhode Island second best of the New England states, behind Maine, which ranked second nationally, and ahead of Massachusetts, the next-best New England state at 13th.
The 2014 rankings report, the Defense Fund’s ninth annual ranking, assessed the strength of each jurisdiction’s animal-protection laws. It also highlighted legislation criminalizing the reckless endangerment of an animal, such as a law enacted in Rhode Island specific to animals left unattended in cars.
Rhode Island laws passed in recent years include provisions to prevent animals to be confined in motor vehicles during extreme heat or cold, requiring individuals convicted of animal-cruelty charges to be financially responsible for the animal’s care and the regulation of spaying and neutering cats and dogs adopted from licensed agencies. •