LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Drastic cases of animal abuse. Animal advocates say they continue to be a huge problem in Nevada.

This weekend, the Animal Foundation took in Tallulah, a 7-month-old puppy severely malnourished and emaciated. She only weighed 14.8 pounds when she was picked up as a stray on Sunday in West Las Vegas with open sores on her hips and wounds on her ears. They say she came in very cold but they warmed her up, fed her, and got her vet care. She’s now out of the shelter being cared for by the Vegas Pet Rescue.

They have paid more than $4,000 so far for her vet bills and are raising money for her care.

Vegas Pet Rescue Project Facebook.

“It’s always devastating to see it…I really had no words other than just to try to comfort her. She’s not my first case like this,” shared Samantha Curtis a volunteer with Vegas Pet Rescue Project now caring for Tullulah. Animal rescue groups say more needs to be done to stop animal abuse in Nevada.

Wednesday, state lawmakers heard one proposal. AB136 would require pet-related businesses, places like pet stores or boarding facilities, to post a notice with contact information/the phone number for local animal control making abuse easier to report.

“A lot of times, people who encounter a situation, they don’t always know who to contact and they will not contact the authorities. That’s an unfortunate situation because there’s not always justice when there should be in a case,” reported Gina Grisen with Nevada Voters for Animals. Supporters of AB136 say when people see animal abuse often, they share concerns online on social media. Authorities don’t see it and cases don’t actually get reported.

“That’s the hard part. People go to the news. They post on social media, but they don’t go to the authorities,” Grisen explained. Grisen recalls the case of Mora and a boarding facility in Las Vegas where the owner was charged felony animal cruelty after the death two dogs. Grisen claims other dogs died at the facility and the owners never notified authorities.

“It wasn’t just Mora and the other dog I was able to pull…There were four other dogs that died in those six months, and those owners did not know who to contact,” Grisen stated. The goal of the new bill would be to increase public awareness of how to report animal mistreatment directly to law enforcement making all facilities that care for animals post the information; however, there is opposition.

“On the surface, the bill does seem to make sense. Nobody wants to see any animal mistreated…but there are many issues to consider here. For example, the general public doesn’t always know what’s appropriate for all animals,” said a caller during public comment.

Pet-related businesses would be responsible for printing their own signs with the phone number for animal control and posting it near animal enclosures.

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