While lawmakers at the Utah Legislature debate whether to strengthen the state's cruelty to animals laws, more disturbing incidents of animal cruelty are being reported along the Wasatch Front.

Thursday, a West Jordan family came home, near 4000 West and 8600 South, after work and found one of their two yellow labs, "Bert," lying in a pool of blood in the back yard. He was shot to death by an unknown assailant, said West Jordan police Sgt. Greg Butler.

Friday, a similar incident happened in Saratoga Springs. A family that had been in and out of their home all day found their 13-week-old puppy shot to death in their back yard in the afternoon. Saratoga Springs police Sgt. Ed Christensen said the family had three other adult dogs in the yard, but none were injured.

Christensen said he was not aware of any prior complaints or threats to the family or its dogs.

Police did not have suspects Saturday in either of the recent shooting cases. Butler said there was no evidence to suggest the two incidents were related, but he said detectives from the two departments planned on getting together Monday to compare notes.

Investigators questioned the West Jordan couple's neighbors and cleared them all, Butler said.

The only history involving animals at that house came in October when Animal Control received an anonymous complaint from someone about a dog barking, he said.

Although shooting a dog is class A misdemeanor, shooting in the direction of a home is a third-degree felony.

The shootings follow a Tuesday incident in which a man was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail after police say he slashed his neighbor's dog on the nose with a knife because he thought it barked too much.

Butler noted there has been extra media attention on animal cruelty cases recently because of the current proceedings on Utah's Capitol Hill.

Two bills are being considered by the Utah Senate: SB102 or "Henry's Law," named after the dog that made headlines after surviving being put in an oven; and SB117. Henry's Law would make cruelty to animals a felony on the first offense, while SB117 would make animal cruelty a felony on the second offense and only if it occurred within five years of the first crime.

On Friday, a Senate Judiciary Committee heard extensive testimony on SB117 while Henry's Law was left out, leaving speculation whether it would be heard at all. The committee passed SB117.

"Senate Bill 117 is actually a step backwards," said Salt Lake County Animal Services spokeswoman Temma Martin.

"A second offense is actually a sixth or seventh or eight offense. To not have the ability to charge someone with a felony on the first time they commit a heinous act of animal cruelty ... it's ridiculous. Why let them get away with it that many more times."

---

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com