FRANKFORT, Ky. — Many animal shelters and advocates rank Kentucky dead last for its legal protections for animals.
Several bills in the state House aim to strengthen animal welfare laws and they have some loud supporters across the state.
Those supporters made their presence known yesterday in Frankfort.
They came from across the state to meet despite the rain, being the voice for their friends who can't speak for themselves.
They had speakers, and signs, and booths outside of the Capitol aiming to keep the spotlight on the gaps in Kentucky law.
Many animal abusers end up getting very lax punishment here compared to other states and these advocates hope that a visual presence will make the public more aware, and pressure lawmakers to craft stricter laws.
"I want to be proud of Kentucky for how we treat our animals and there's not a good view of how Kentucky treats their animals from all over the country," said Mychell Lawson at the rally. "We are known as the worst state for animals by everyone in this nation."
So what would these proposed bills do?
One would create an online registry for animal abusers. This is being called "Arrow's Law", named after a Jack Russell Terrier who died last year after he was shot with an arrow.
Another bill would make animal cruelty a felony on a second offense.
One more bill proposed--would outlaw sex with animals in Kentucky. Right now, there are only five states where it is still legal, and Kentucky is one of them.