- Dear Jeff,
-
- A U.S. judge has sentenced a dog owner for intentionally
starving his two dogs for a period of seven days.
(http://www.nyshumane.org/Manual/Ch4Comm/Ex2Food.htm )
-
- An animal cruelty investigator found two emaciated dogs
chained to a fence with no food or water available and applied for an "Order
to Seize Dog' from the local judge. Using bolt cutters to cut the dog's
chains, the animal cruelty investigator seized both dogs and took them
to safety to the animal shelter where the dogs were immediately given food
and water. He left a copy of the "Order to Seize Dog" at the
residence and charged the owner with two counts of violating Section 353
of the NYS Agriculture and Markets Law.
-
- I just don't get it. Terri is in a hospital bed starving
to death. A young boy moved by compassion was arrested for trying to give
Terri a drink of water. Not one person can legally use bolt cutters to
cut through her invisible 'legal chains' nor can take her heavily guarded
body away to a safe haven of rest where she can get her much needed food
and water. There is no 'Order to Seize Terri' and nobody has been legally
charged with violating any sections of any law. Apparently our law says
if you are a human being then a U.S. judge can decide your horrible fate
to be starvation--but if you are an animal and if your owner starves you
to death, your owner, not you the 'animal' , will be subject to heavy penalties
and perhaps jail time -- you 'the animal' will surely get the food and
water and relaxed home environment you need so not to worry our furry friend.
-
- Our family currently fosters dogs from a local animal
shelter. We do this to teach our children compassion and giving to the
less fortunate - even if the less fortunate is an animal. But I am at
a total loss for words when my kids ask me why Terri has been sentenced
to starvation death yet pet owners who do the same for their pets only
get heavy fines and penalties. They asked me this question while watching
Animal Planet on TV where a few horses were 300 lbs underweight and looked
like a bag of bones and were immediately taken from their owners to the
ASPCA and given food, clean water and new forever home preparations. The
horse owners were served summons and had to personally appear in court.
-
- To summarize, if a dog or cat or horse has not been fed
or given clean (or any) water in a week's time than the owner of that animal
will be severly punished -- and that animal will be provided the necessary
food and water so it will not die. But, if a human being has not been fed
or given clean ( or any) water in a week because of a judge's ruling -
then that human being will just die a horrible death, and the judge or
anyone surrounding why this beautiful life is withering will not be punished.
-
- I think I got it now.... humans are placed much lower
than the animals in the judicial system.
- --Linda Aliberti
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