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Two changes to Utah law address how people and their pets are treated during natural disasters. First, every county, city, and town must include in its emergency operations plan at least one designated shelter that accepts both people and their household pets — defined as dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, rodents, or turtles kept as companions — with each plan allowed to set its own rules for how pets are housed and cared for at those shelters. Second, the bill adds a new form of aggravated cruelty to animals: leaving a personal animal tied or tethered outside and abandoned during a natural disaster, which can be charged as a misdemeanor.