Officials of the Humane Society of Utah today paused to note the fact that SB 297, the bill making the deliberate torture of a cat or dog a third-degree felony on the first offense, actually goes into practice today. "This is historic," said HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt. "Never before in the entire existence of Utah as either a territory or a state has legislation like this been enacted, and we are profoundly thankful to have been witnesses to, and participants in, this landmark action."