A proposal to make killing or torturing a police dog a second-degree felony was unanimously approved Tuesday (3/18/14) by the Pennsylvania State House. The penalty: up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Great! I’m very happy for the passing of this legislation, but what about the rest of the dogs in Pennsylvania who suffer beatings, cruelty and death every single day? Are their lives less valuable than that of a police dog?
The dog cruelty laws (and animal cruelty laws in general) in Pennsylvania are an insult to anyone with a minimal amount of empathy or compassion for our canine (and feline) companions!
Is one human’s life more valuable than another? Is the punishment for the intentional death of a celebrity more severe than that of a laborer? Homicide is a crime no matter who the victim is, and the punishment should be equal under the law.
But, what about the intentional harming of a dog? What justifies the State House moving so quickly (less than two months after the stabbing death of a police dog in Pittsburgh) to enact a law (unanimously) as a second-degree felony, yet the very same criminal who shot the police dog could shoot an arrow into a dog or cat (both of which occurred in Lancaster County in the past year), and if caught, would get a slap on the wrist and maybe a minimal fine?
Statistics show a trend that most serial killers begin by harming pets. Research shows that violence toward pets is often related to domestic violence toward children, spouses, and the elderly.
It’s time for our legislators to wake up to the reality of the ripple effect that cruelty to animals has on everyone else in society … and do something about it, not just for police dogs, but for ALL animals.
Bob Rudy
Lancaster County