Utah Shelters Push Reform After Abused Dog Spent Years Waiting

After Three Years in a Kennel, a Dog Named Biscuit Sparks Reform

Biscuit was just a year old when she was confiscated from an abusive home. Though she survived the cruelty that killed her kennel mate, her ordeal was far from over. Because Utah law treated her as property connected to a criminal case, she spent the next three years on a court hold inside a Salt Lake County animal shelter — waiting.

Stuck in Legal Limbo

While her former owner’s animal abuse case slowly made its way through the courts, Biscuit remained confined to a kennel for most hours of every day. She wasn’t unadoptable. She wasn’t dangerous. She was simply trapped in a legal gray area with no mechanism for earlier placement.

Shelter leaders say her case is not unique. Dogs seized in cruelty cases can wait months — even years — before becoming eligible for adoption, rescue, or foster care. Some deteriorate emotionally. Some never make it out.

What ‘Biscuit’s Bill’ Would Change

Now Utah lawmakers are considering HB87, known as “Biscuit’s Bill,” sponsored by Rep. Verona Mauga. The legislation would create a court process allowing judges to review an impounded animal’s custody early in a criminal case, rather than forcing shelters to hold animals indefinitely.

Supporters argue the bill would reduce shelter overcrowding, prevent emotional trauma for animals, and save taxpayer dollars. In Biscuit’s case alone, county officials estimate over $20,000 was spent during her three-year hold.

A Narrow Path Forward

The bill narrowly cleared a Senate committee and now heads to the full Senate for debate. Animal shelters across Utah are urging lawmakers to pass it — for Biscuit, and for the many other animals still waiting for a second chance.