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Director urges prevention-first Division of Animal Welfare, proposes task forces and pop-up clinics
Summary
Lisa Mylott, director of the Division of Animal Welfare, told the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee that a small, prevention-focused state division, better complaint triage, humane officers and short-term holding capacity could reduce cruelty cases and shelter strain in Vermont.
Lisa Mylott, director of animal welfare, told the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee on Friday that Vermont should prioritize prevention and create a small Division of Animal Welfare to improve how cruelty complaints are triaged and handled.
Mylott said the state's response is currently fragmented and primarily complaint-driven. "Prevention is really key here," she said, arguing that many cases arise from poverty, lack of knowledge or inertia and can be diverted with resources, education or compliance checks before they become crimes.
Her report, based on eight months of review, found roughly 400 animal-incident calls to Vermont State Police and Fish & Wildlife in 2024, of which she characterized about half as potentially related to cruelty. "Those calls resulted in nine arrests" by the state agencies, she said, and municipal law enforcement reported an additional 44…
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