Another reason to make sure we get our letters out to the Senators - perhaps use these as examples of WHY Bill C10 needs to be passed without further amendments!
In Edmonton - A terrible case of animal abuse - a man allegedly beat and then hung a six month old border collie puppy in a bag from a tree. Edmonton SPCA say it was one of the worst, most gruesome cases of animal abuse they have seen. The puppy was still alive when found, but needed to be euthenized. They are pleading for the public to contact their MLA's and ask them to support stronger animal protection laws.
and ... letter in the latest edition of The Animals Spirit
LETTER: Ontario Prosecutor Goes Soft on Animal Abuse
SOURCE: http://www.peta-online.org/alert/automation/AlertItem.asp?id=651
CONTACT:
Derek Zuraw, Assistant Crown Attorney
Crown Attorney's Office
44 Queen St.
Brantford, ON N3T 3B4
Canada
Fax: 519-758-3481
SAMPLE LETTER:
Assistant Crown Attorney Zuraw:
The following letter accurately expresses my views regarding this issue.
I am writing in reference to Kenneth Fuller who was convicted of charges stemming from a March 19 incident during which-according to the Huron Expositor-he "became enraged when a kitten scratched him . grabbed [her]and threw [her] against the wall. The critically injured animal fell to the floor, convulsing and bleeding. Fuller then strangled the kitten with his bare hands."
Despite the judge's inclination to impose a sentence befitting the crime -- mandatory jail time -- reports indicate that both the defense attorney and prosecutor jointly suggested that a suspended sentence (i.e., no jail time unless the defendant violates conditions of probation) and a donation to charity "would be sufficient." Because of this, Fuller only received 12 months' probation and an order to donate $750 dollars to his local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), according to news sources.
The FBI has found that a history of cruelty to animals is one of the traits that regularly appears in its computer records of serial rapists and murderers. The standard diagnostic and treatment manual for psychiatric and emotional disorders lists cruelty to animals as a diagnostic criterion for conduct disorders.
For these reasons, I urge you to take cruelty-to-animals cases more seriously in the future. To allow individuals guilty of perpetrating such cruel acts to go unpunished or not sufficiently punished would be to sanction these horrific crimes and would permit them to go on to commit serious and violent crimes against humans.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,