The Utah Legislature has passed a measure called "Biscuit's Bill" that will allow animals impounded because their owners are accused of a crime to be fostered or adopted much sooner than previously possible.

Biscuit is a 4-year-old pit bull mix held for more than 1,000 days because, under Utah law, she was "evidence" that must be held until trial.

Alexis Shulof, a volunteer at Salt Lake County Animal Services, recently adopted Biscuit.

"For 20 hours a day, she sat in solitary confinement in her kennel, not because she was unadoptable, but because she was stuck in legal limbo," she said. "We cannot call that humane. I witnesses a dog who after three years of confinement following abuse, still showed us who she wanted to be: a good dog."

The passage of Biscuit's Bill is considered a major accomplishment by Utah animal advocates, who lobbied for two legislative sessions to get it approved. The bill's sponsor, state Rep. Verona Mauga, D-Taylorsville, sought to allow pets confiscated from abusive situations to be fostered or re-homed outside of shelters while their owners’ legal cases played out in court. The bill is awaiting Gov. Spencer Cox’s signature.

Staffers at Salt Lake County Animal Services, where many of the animals tied to legal cases are impounded, say the process often took a toll, both financial and emotional.

"Even in cases of abuse, we're holding animals for multiple years just to euthanize them," said Talia Butler, division director for the county. "And so, the impact on our staff is extreme. And the cost for Biscuit, we spent $21,000."

Butler said her shelter and others around the state had housed dozens of dogs and cats who languished for months and even years waiting for the legal system to play out. The bill says that any person or organization that receives the animal obtains the ownership rights and it's not allowed for the former owner to possess, care for or interact with the animal.

Source: Public News Service