Comm. Outreach Archives: Felony Animal Abuse Senate Bill 777 - How to Help: 2007-03-03
Please Note: Information in this archived article may no longer be accurate.
(Reproduced with permission by Eva Madison, President, Humane Society of the Ozarks, Fayetteville)
Felony animal cruelty legislation is long overdue in Arkansas, and today, we have come one step closer to making this important legislation a reality for Arkansans and their pets. On February 27, Senator Sue Madison (D-Fayetteville) introduced SB 777 which would make aggravated cruelty to dogs, cats, and horses a felony. Representative Pam Adcock (D-Little Rock) is the lead House sponsor. Click HERE to view the full bill.
The bill takes the most serious animal abuse against dogs, cats, and horses – torture, depraved killings, neglect that results in prolonged suffering or death, and abuse in front of a child – and calls it what it is: A FELONY.
The bill exempts activities that are obviously lawful: self-defense or defense of others, protecting livestock and poultry, lawful veterinary purposes, Good Samaritan acts for animals in distress, bona fide animal research activities, euthanizing animals, and humanely killing sick animals.
The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Jimmy Jeffress (D-Crossett), Mary Anne Salmon (D-North Little Rock), Ruth Whitaker (R-Cedarville), and Robert Thompson (D-Paragould) and Representatives Kathy Webb (D-Little Rock), Rick Saunders (D-Hot Springs), Shirley Walters (R-Greenwood), Will Bond (D-Little Rock), and Lindsley Smith (D-Fayetteville). We are very grateful for their early support.
To make this important legislation a reality during the 2007 legislative session, WE NEED YOUR HELP!
What You Can Do
(1) Contact your State Representative and your State Senator (see tips below).
(2) Write a letter to the editor of your local paper (see tips below).
(3) Forward this webpage link to friends, family members, and co-workers in Arkansas who you believe are interested in having a felony animal cruelty law.
How to Find Your Legislators
· Your legislators want to hear from their own constituents, so be sure to contact your State Representative and your State Senator. Emails that go to ALL senators/representatives are not as effective as an email from a constituent.
· If your Representative or Senator is already a co-sponsor of the bill, there is no need to overwhelm them with unnecessary emails and phone calls. Please focus on the undecided votes!
· If you don’t know who your legislators are, click HERE to find out. Enter your ZIP+4. Then, click the “State” tab. You should see the names of your State Representative and your State Senator.
How to Contact Your Legislators
· Emails and phone calls are the best way to communicate. Letters are not effective forms of communication during the legislative session.
· Find House email addresses HERE. Find Senate email addresses HERE.
Emails:
· Include in the subject line something like “Vote for SB 777.”
· Provide your name and address (so they know you live in their district). You can even state that you live in their district (if you know that to be true).
· Ask them to vote for the bill. Keep your email very brief – they do not have time to read lengthy emails and may ignore your email if the message is too long.
· Say thank you, be polite, and stay positive!
Phone calls:
· Senate switchboard: 501-682-2902
· House switchboard: 501-682-6211
· Leave a message for your Senator/Representative, saying “Please vote for SB 777.”
· Provide your name and address (so they know you live in their district).
Tips for Letters to the Editor:
· Be brief, focusing on one, or at most two, major points to support the bill. Aim for no more than 250 words, and be sure to stay under the paper’s word limit.
· Be accurate, be polite, and stay positive!
· Include your name, address and phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published.
· Have someone review your letter to ensure it is clear and that you get your point across.
· You may submit a letter to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette online HERE.
Reasons to Support SB 777 - Talking Points
· 42 states have felony animal cruelty laws. Only Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah lack felony cruelty provisions. Notably, every Southern agricultural state has a felony cruelty law, except for Arkansas and Mississippi.
· There is a strong connection between domestic abuse and animal abuse. Nearly three-quarters of families with school-age children have at least one companion animal. Unfortunately, abusive family members may threaten, injure, or kill pets, often as a way of threatening or controlling others in the family. In fact, a 1997 study revealed that animals are abused in 88% of families where children are abused.
· Cruelty toward animals can be the first sign of a violent pathology that includes human victims. Notorious serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Albert DeSalvo (the “Boston Strangler”), David Berkowitz (“Son of Sam”), and Dennis Rader (the “BTK” killer) all tortured animals before they started hurting people. Columbine students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold and D.C.-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo also tortured animals before becoming teenaged killers. Studies of prison inmates reveal that as many as 75% of violent offenders had early records of animal cruelty.
· According to the American Animal Hospital Association's National Pet Owner Survey, 74 percent of pet owners say that they would be willing to go into debt in order to provide for their animal’s well-being. It’s time the law valued our pets as much as we do. It’s not “just a dog,” “just a cat,” or “just a horse,” it’s our Max, our Maggie, or our Buddy.
Thank you for your help. Together, we can make this
legislation a reality!
Eva Madison
President, Humane Society of the Ozarks, Fayetteville
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." –Gandhi