In the past few months, many pet owners have reported receiving calls from the Federal Government about pet roaming incidents in the United States.
Pet roaming incidents have become so common, that some states are considering legislation that would allow them to be prosecuted and fined if a pet is caught roaming without the owner’s knowledge.
“We’re seeing a huge increase in pet roaming cases in the states,” said Scott Hutton, a pet expert with Petfinder.
“This is a great opportunity to bring attention to this issue and hopefully get some people to think about what is happening and to try to make some changes to the law.”
In the US, pet owners who have pet roaming violations can face up to a year in prison and fines of up to $5,000 per violation.
Some states, like Florida and Pennsylvania, have also started cracking down on pet owners with pet roaming tickets.
The Federal Government has already responded to the growing problem, issuing guidance that states should take action to reduce pet roaming in their own states.
“As we’ve seen with other recent state legislation, it’s a good idea to take action on these issues when they arise,” the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a blog post in January.
“We hope to have a discussion about this at the upcoming Farm Bureau meeting in March.”
“The U.S. Department of Justice is providing guidance on how to respond to pet roaming at state and local levels,” the USDA said.
“Read more about this and other issues at the USDA’s Pet Issues page.