By Robin Opsahl

Torturing a companion animal will be charged as a felony in Iowa under a measure signed into law Monday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Reynolds, joined by lawmakers and advocates, signed  House File 2348into law at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa shelter in Des Moines. The law establishes a Class D felony charge for animal torture, defined as when a person “intentionally, willfully, and maliciously mutilates, burns, poisons, drowns, starves or causes intensive or prolonged pain or death to a companion animal, or provides anything of value to another person to do the same.â€�

This charge would increase to a Class C felony if individual has been previously convicted of other offenses related to animal cruelty.

The law will be a step up from current Iowa law, which penalizes animal abuse causing injury as a serious misdemeanor, and an aggravated misdemeanor if the abuse results in death. With the signing, Iowa  has become the 50th state  to make animal torture a first offense felony.

“This is already the legal standard across the rest of the country, and it’s only common sense that we adopted here in Iowa, because this isn’t just about being punitive,â€� Reynolds said. “This is about cracking down on intentional, willful and malicious infliction of pain or prolonged death on innocent animals — horrible acts of violence that are evil in their own right and also certainly linked to the violent crimes against people.â€�

Joining politicians and advocates at the bill signing was Ember, a  puppy rescued by the ARL in March  that Tom Colvin, CEO of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa said was the victim of animal abuse and torture. Colvin showed a picture of Ember when she first came to the ARL at eight weeks old. She had sustained a broken jaw, a broken leg and a severe injury to another leg, as well as a severely injured eye, that Colvin said “we were able to determine happened from multiple abuses, multiple times she was tortured.â€�

Ember, now five months old, has recovered from the injuries. Colvin said Ember “was fortunate enough to be a survivor of animal torture, but there’s so many other ones that aren’t,â€� which is why the measure needed to be signed into law.

Colvin said this was a topic advocates had been working on as early as 1996, and thanked those who have kept bringing the issue up at the state Capitol. He also thanked law enforcement for the support of the measure and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, who has worked on animal cruelty legislation at the federal level.

Rep. Samantha Fett, R-Carlisle, who led the bill in the House, said the measure was “long overdueâ€� and “the right thing to do.â€�

“I think it’s a commitment to what Iowa stands for, that, in our character, we want to protect our pets,â€� Fett said. “Our pets are there for companionship, for comfort, for therapy, for service, for working, and what better way to protect them … by passing something like this.â€�