The Humane Society of Utah today issued a strong denunciation of the comment made by Third District Court Judge Stephen Henriod at the hearing of a woman who still had seven of the eight dogs she had been ordered in October to place in other homes, since the law only allows two dogs per household. "You should have taken a gun and shot the other five dogs," the judge is reported to have said after the woman argued that she had retained possession of the animals while trying to legally challenge the two-dog-limit ordinance.

Craig S. Cook, President and General Counsel for the Humane Society, plans to file a complaint with the Judicial Conduct Commission on behalf of HSU against Judge Henriod. "Judge Henriod’s statement not only shows insensitivity to those who care for and love animals, but it may also be construed as a possible command to commit a violation of Utah cruelty law by inhumanely destroying pets who may suffer during any ‘shooting’ attempt," he said.

HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt focused on the impact the judge’s statement could have on the community as a whole. "Here we are trying to get a felony provision for torturing animals put into law, and this judge actually advocates the wanton shooting of someone’s beloved canine companions. What sort of message does this send to people who tend to abuse animals? All it does is reinforce the already too-prevalent idea that animals are just ‘things,’ cheap objects that can be dispatched without any consideration for their feelings or the feelings of people who care about them. What Judge Henriod allegedly said is no different from ordering the destruction of junk autos."

Mr. Baierschmidt stressed that the Humane Society does not condone flouting the law, but believes that the case was poorly handled.