1Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
2Consolidated Statutes, further providing for cruelty to
3animals.

4The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5hereby enacts as follows:

6Section 1. Section 5511(c) of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania
7Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:

8§ 5511. Cruelty to animals.

9* * *

10(c) Cruelty to animals.--

11(1) A person commits an offense if he wantonly or
12cruelly illtreats, overloads, beats, otherwise abuses any
13animal, or neglects any animal as to which he has a duty of
14care, whether belonging to himself or otherwise, or abandons
15any animal, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance,
16drink, shelter or veterinary care, or access to clean and
17sanitary shelter which will protect the animal against
18inclement weather and preserve the animal's body heat and

1keep it dry.

2(2) (i) Except as provided in subparagraph (ii), a
3person convicted of violating paragraph (1) commits a
4summary offense.

5(ii) A person convicted of violating paragraph (1) 
6commits a misdemeanor of the third degree and for a
7second or subsequent time of violating paragraph (1)
8commits a misdemeanor of the [third] second degree if all
9of the following occurred:

10(A) The action or omission for which the person
11was convicted [for a subsequent time] was performed
12on a dog or cat.

13(B) The dog or cat was seriously injured,
14suffered severe physical distress or was placed at
15imminent risk of serious physical harm as the result
16of the person's action or omission.

17(3) This subsection shall not apply to activity
18undertaken in normal agricultural operation.

19* * *

20Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.