Tempe Animal Welfare and Cruelty Council subcommittee's goal is to support and protect animal

The city of Tempe wants to educate the public about ways they can better support and protect animals. Tempe is launching a new subcommittee that will strengthen its own policies.

The Animal Welfare and Cruelty Council subcommittee aims to revamp its current policies after the state passed a new law that establishes protections for pets.

Tempe Councilmember Berdetta Hodge is a member of the subcommittee and a pet owner herself. She says the city receives a lot of questions about both pets and service animals.

"We will also look at ways to make sure we get the most information — robust information — out to our community about our animals and animal welfare," she said.

She says animal-welfare issues are a big concern for community members.

“They care a lot about what happens to the animals, what is going on. I got a lot of feedback on, you know, like on service animals and emotional support animals, where they can go, what they can do," she said.

The group held its first virtual meeting last week. Besides fostering more community involvement, the subcommittee also plans to expand its partnerships with other animal welfare groups.