A state bill protecting outdoor dogs passed the legislature Wednesday afternoon. Senate Bill 361, also known as "Beau's Law", passed the Alabama House with overwhelming yeas and just a few nays. The votes came after a lengthy discussion in the House on the bill, which lays out requirements for tethering dogs and the basic care for keeping them outside.

Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, Nathaniel Ledbetter, stated in a post on X "If you cannot provide the level of care outlined in this bill, you have no business owning a dog."

The world met Beau, the dog that inspired the law, through a viral video last winter that showed the pup chained up in a Birmingham backyard during a snowstorm. Beau was shivering, trying to balance on an overturned planter to stay dry.

A neighbor called the police, but the responding officer felt the current law requiring adequate housing wasn't clear enough to do anything.

Beau's Law is the first pet protection law passed in Alabama in 26 years. It had bipartisan support but faced opposition from special interest groups. The bill now heads to the governor's desk for her signature.