Too Much to Ask?
LEGISLATION WOULD GIVE DOGS AND CATS A BILL OF RIGHTS
C
urrent law makes it a crime for people to deprive their companion animals of “necessary sustenance, drink or shelter.” But the statute falls short of what that means.
CR By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies
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Necessary sustenance could be a loaf of bread or a candy bar—anything to keep the pet alive. Drink could be a can of Coke. A metal cage, just large enough for the animal to stand up and turn around, is considered shelter. Last October, I wrote about a pit bull in the backyard of a Sacramento home. She lived 24/7 in a 4-foot by 6-foot chain-link kennel on hardpan dirt with a filthy water bowl and feces scattered about. A Sacramento County animal control officer told me there was little, if anything, he could do. There were “no violations of law,” he said. “The kennel is more than adequate for the
size of the dog. The water is definitely potable.” He went on to tell me about an “improper care violation” where the water for four dogs was a kiddie pool with “a thick layer of algae on the top that you could practically walk on.” Because water was available, the judge threw out the case. After my story ran, the chief of staff for a state senator contacted me. He was interested in ideas on how to fix the problems highlighted in the article. Was it just a matter of adding more detailed definitions to the animal cruelty laws?
I reached out to the heads of two local animal shelters. My suggestions were basic. Let’s define food, water and exercise. Give law enforcement more power to act on behalf of animals. Their responses ranged from disinterest to noncommitment. One thought changing the law might make it harder for animal control officers to do their jobs. My next step was to draft language myself to amend current law. Define “necessary sustenance” and “proper food” as adequate nutrition, free from mold, mildew and non-edible debris, in the amount
