(Source: MIRS.news, Published 01/16/2025) More than 340 people signed an online petition posted four days ago in support of a bill designed to prevent dogs kept outside from freezing to death in Michigan's cold winters. 

The petition advocates for HB 6015 of 2024, sponsored by Rep Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing), establishing statewide requirements for dog houses and placing limits on outdoor tethering during extreme weather.  

“The reason I started this petition is because there are people all across Michigan who leave dogs outside all day and night, no matter the weather. Usually the dogs are locked in a small enclosure or tethered with a heavy chain around their necks. Some are given a dog house, some are not. Some are fed consistently, some are not. And even if given water, it freezes soon after,” said Jennifer Potts of Southgate, who started the petition. 

As the petition circulates, Tsernoglou’s office is working to get these bills re-introduced, according to her legislative director, Alex Birkle.  

The bill requires outdoor animals to be provided with shelter suitable for protection from hazardous weather and regulates the type of shelter used for dogs. This legislation was introduced last year and has not been re-introduced, yet, during the current session.  

Currently, Michigan does not have any statewide laws regulating outdoor animal shelters.  

“Many of those dogs freeze to death when temperatures are well below freezing. I just couldn't sit by and do nothing anymore. There are a number of municipalities that have laws prohibiting dogs from being left out in extreme weather, but only few of them actually enforce those ordinances. We need statewide laws protecting dogs in extreme heat and cold, and we need those laws enforced,” Potts said.  

The petition cites the death of Buddy, a Detroit dog who froze to death when his owner left him chained outside all day in 2021, and Frosty, who was rescued and given veterinary care after nearly freezing also in Detroit.  Detroit has city ordinances prohibiting tethering and 24/7 outdoor confinement, but the laws are not enforced, according to the petition.  

The bill excludes crawl spaces, transportation crates, cardboard shelters and more from the legal definition of a shelter. If the dog’s shelter is a human residence, the bill requires it to have proper light, ventilation and temperature control. If the shelter is a doghouse, it must have a roof, flooring, dry bedding and insulation.  

“We’re going to get something going here, and definitely want to do this again,” Birkle said.    

"Michiganders are fed up with the neglect and cruelty associated with dogs being left outdoors in the freezing cold, often without food and fresh water," the petition reads.