IA HF2521

Amends Iowa Code Section 717B.8 to clarify that delivering a cat or dog to an animal shelter or pound only qualifies as an exception to abandonment laws if an employee or volunteer physically accepts the animal

Requires the animal shelter or pound to hold a valid authorization from the department under Chapter 162 for the delivery exception to apply

Establishes that simply leaving an animal at a shelter without direct handoff to staff constitutes abandonment under state law

Criminal penalties for animal abandonment range from a simple misdemeanor to an aggravated misdemeanor, depending on the condition of the animal