THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF UTAH
4242 SOUTH 300 WEST
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84107-1415
(801) 261-2919 phone • (801) 261-9577 fax
www.utahhumane.org
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PRESS RELEASE
RELEASE DATE: Immediately (February 21, 2008)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Gene Baierschmidt (801) 261-2919 - cell phone
HUMANE SOCIETY OF UTAH ENDORSES
COMPROMISE CRUELTY MEASURE
The Humane Society of Utah is pleased that a new compromise bill on animal torture will be introduced in the Senate today by Sen. Allen Christensen. "While the new bill only makes the torture of cats and dogs a third-degree felony on the first offense, these animals comprise most of the cases that the Humane Society deals with and the ones that are most frequently involved in domestic violence situations," said HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt. The new bill also leaves the current animal cruelty code intact, a condition the Humane Society strongly approves.
"Basically there are many reasons for our support of this bill," said Mr. Baierschmidt, citing the following points:
This bill makes the deliberate torture of cats and dogs a third-degree felony on the first offense. This sends the message that our society does not take actions like this lightly.
The current animal cruelty code is not weakened, as it would have been by SB 117. All animals will continue to have the level of protection that they now have.
When animals are involved in situations of domestic violence, the overwhelming majority of those animals are cats and dogs. These are the animals specifically addressed by the new bill.
It brings Utah more closely in line with the majority of the other states, 29 of which already have first-offense felony provisions for animal torture.
Most of the cruelty cases that the Humane Society of Utah investigates involve dogs and cats. These are obviously the animals most at risk, and the ones who will be most affected by this bill.
The bill has been written in such a way that there is NO valid reason for ANY faction to find it objectionable. We want to see an end to all the petty niggling and hair-splitting that has held back prior attempts to get legislation like this passed.
"Most of the state’s population is in support of the principles exemplified by this bill– an animal-protection bill that has some teeth," says Mr. Baierschmidt. "We all hope that 2008 will be the year when it finally happens."
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