Animal Cruelty and Abuse - As enacted, prohibits the abandonment of an animal in a person's custody and provides that it is not a defense to prosecution that the person abandoned the animal at or near an animal shelter, veterinary clinic, or other place of shelter if the person did not make reasonable arrangements for the care of the animal. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 14, Part 2.

HB 76 prohibits abandoning an animal in one's custody and removes the defense that the animal was left near a shelter, vet clinic, or other care facility if reasonable arrangements for the animal's care weren't made. It directly affects pet owners, breeders, and anyone with custody of animals by making abandonment a prosecutable offense without that defense. The bill amends Tennessee law (TCA Title 39, Chapter 14) to clarify that abandonment at shelter locations doesn't excuse prosecution if proper care wasn't arranged. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.