Reader comments
2 dogs shot dead in yards in 2 days

Mahershalalhashbaz | 12:26 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

I know who you should question first about this. try Huntsman Jr. Funny dogs conveniently start dying right in time for him to try to ram this down our legislatures throat again. Anyone remember the last time a dog was murdered? I do, it was about 1812. Give me a break. Someone go get the pet detective!

Anonymous | 12:33 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

Is the legislature finally going to see now that Henry's Law NEEDS to be brought up and passed? How many more disturbing articles can we read about sick individuals killing people's pets? I've lived all over the US, and NEVER have I seen such horrible and frequent animal abuse and cruelty stories than in Utah. The people who do this to someone else's pet have no soul, and are capable of much more violence. Put them in jail on felony charges where they belong! Enough is enough!

Why is Animal Torture Wrong | 4:00 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

Actually, dogs, cats and other pets are killed all the time. Apparently, the guy who put Henry, the dog, in a stove and set him on fire was only doing it to "ram this down our legislatures throat again" instead of doing it to torment his girlfriend.

According to Pet-Abuse.com, "The line separating an animal abuser from someone capable of committing human abuse is much finer than most people care to consider. People abuse animals for the same reasons they abuse people. Some of them will stop with animals, but enough have been proven to continue on to commit violent crimes to people that it's worth paying attention to" and "Others either abuse pets or threaten to abuse them as a way to control an individual."

According to the same source, "More recently, high school killers such as 15-year-old Kip Kinkel in Springfield, Ore., and Luke Woodham, 16, in Pearl, Miss., tortured animals before embarking on shooting sprees. Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who shot and killed 12 classmates before turning their guns on themselves, bragged about mutilating animals to their friends."

To be continued...

Comments continue below

Why Animal Cruelty is Wrong 2 | 4:01 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

The Prophet Joseph Smith, in translating the Book of Genesis writes "Surely, blood shall not be shed, only for meat, to save your lives; and the blood of every beast will I require at your hands." Lorenzo Snow, taught that "Killing for sport is wrong."

Joseph Fielding Smith taught us that, "I never could see why a man should be imbued with a blood-thirsty desire to kill and destroy animal life. I have known men--and they still exist among us--who enjoy what is, to them, the "sport" of hunting...I do not believe any man should kill animals or birds unless he needs them for food... I think it is wicked for men to thirst in their souls to kill almost everything which possesses animal life. It is wrong."

Mitt Romney who professes to follow the teachings of the Church has said, "I've always been a rodent and rabbit hunter. Small varmints if you will. I began when I was 15 or so and I have hunted those kinds of varmints since then. More than two times." The difference between the Prophet Joseph Smith, President Lorenzo Snow and J.F. Smith from Mitt Romney is shocking.

To be continued...

Why Animal Cruelty is Wrong 3 | 4:12 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

The Prophet Brigham Young taught "Let the people be holy, and filled with the Spirit of God, and every animal and creeping thing will be filled with peace. -- The more purity that exists, the less is the strife; the more kind we are to our animals, the more will peace increase, and the savage nature of the brute creation will vanish away" while the Prophet David O. McKay taught "a true Latter-day Saint is kind to animals, is kind to every created thing, for God created all."

Those who oppose this bill, who feel that animals have no rights are wrong to do so for the scriptures tell us that animals are living souls, that they possess both a body and a spirit. The prophets have taught us what is right yet we would prefer to sin instead of heed their counsel. God has given us dominion over the earth and all that is in it and we will be held accountable for how we treat animals.

Furthermore, torturing an animal is about taking pleasure, joy and power over something that cannot defend itself. When you torture animals you are only a step removed from torturing other people.

Human Lover | 8:11 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

Why don't we just go ahead and make it a felony. Because we all know pets are just as humans. [Sarcasm]

uncannygunman | 8:11 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

Somebody needs to learn the difference between "taking a step backward" and "not moving as far forward as I want."

Mahershalalhashbaz | 9:06 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

So we want to start calling the FBI out every time someone's pet is missing? I would rather use our strained police resources investigating real crime, like murder, robbery, child abduction and rape. Sad anyone would hurt an animal, but don't lose your brain in your emotions to save the animals. Are we going to start having a puppy alert? Stop everything, grandmas kitty is missing! I really thought that movie "Pet Detective" was a joke". I guess not as big of a joke as our governor and many in our legislature!

BCS | 9:11 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

There are better ways to deal with this reoccurring problem. Pet licenses need to be expensive enough that it proves a commitment from the pet owners and animal control agencies need the authority to take action when necessary. It is not the petï¿½s fault they bark all day, jump on everybody, scare people, get loose and cause problems. Place the blame squarely where it belongs, ON THE OWNERS!
My dogï¿½s behavior elicits favorable comments all the time because of thousands of hours training, socializing and constant ongoing positive reinforcement.

Anonymous | 9:23 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

Mahershalalhashbaz- It's interesting that you would post such a rant and display to the public that you are obviously a simpleton. Dogs/pets being shot in your yard are apparently no big deal for you. That alone suggests that you are an idiot. No further comment requred.

to anonymous: | 9:44 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

Required is actually spelled with an I. Who is the real simpleton and idiot? lets not judge one another.

Tumbleweed Tom | 10:23 a.m. Feb. 10, 2008

Don't some animals NEED killin' like rats that carry the plague, jackrabbits that decimate the bottoms of farmers haystacks until they look like giant mushrooms, coyotes that ravage a crop of newborn lambs? Is this cruelty? I thought Henry's Law only made torture a felony? Is shooting to kill an animal with the first shot TORTURE? If you mistakenly wound the animal is that TORTURE? If so, Henry's law is a slippery slope.

Ruth | 12:12 p.m. Feb. 10, 2008

This has come up locally. I don't undestand why anyone would shoot any animal just for the fun of it. But if they do they need to be stopped because the next of God's creations will be human beings they will shoot or torture to death.

Killing animals will not satisfy their need for killing next will be an 11 week old child.

pet owner | 12:34 p.m. Feb. 10, 2008

To Tumbleweed Tom:
I don't think we need Henry's law. It is a felony to fire a gun towards a domicile. What we need is to prosecute those who for some reason think it is okay to let lose with their guns in the city limits.
Does your sign say "hold my beer"?

Keth | 3:32 p.m. Feb. 10, 2008

It's a sad state that animals are treated as less than animals in the West. People hate these bills because they think we're trying to give animals the same rights as people. But animals are living creatures, with the ability to feel pain. If someone is willing to cause that kind of pain to a living creature, they ought to be punished severely enough that they will think twice before doing it again. However, laws like Henry's Law would only be the beginning. These laws place a band-aid over the problem without looking at the reason behind it. There needs to be more education that it's not fun, or funny, to harm a living creature. The attitude in areas like ours is that it's okay, and that's where things need to change.

Johnnycomelately | 5:43 p.m. Feb. 10, 2008

***It was probably due to the fact that many people buy really loud and annoying animals and put them in the back yard and never play with them again, they leave tons of dog crap everywhere which smells so nicely in the summer heat all the while constant barking and noise. Maybe if the owners would actually take care of the animal or be prosecuted for animal neglect??? Hmmm wonder why they were killed, maybe the neighbor went thru all the red tape and nobody listened???*** Another interesting fact is that who decides what animal is a varmint? I think that all animals without leashes should be shot on sight, they spread all kinds of diseases and mate like wildfire. Do you know what happens when your 3 yr old gets attacked or plays in animal feces, THINK ABOUT IT, PEOPLE!!!

Gimgimno | 5:50 p.m. Feb. 10, 2008

I've spent over $500 dollars on all kinds of cages, etc to keep cats out of my yard, I've gone to the SPCA, I've made tons of phone calls all at my own expense, my neighborhood likes to breed wild cats all over the place, and when they crap in my yard all of them say, "It wasn't my cat!" How the heck would they know because none of them have leashes?Unfortunatley none of this worked......Solution: ***I put up an electric fence that's built to control small horses***. Never had a cat problem again LOL!!!

Nat | 5:59 p.m. Feb. 10, 2008

One thing I've found disturbing, especially out here in Utah, is how cavalier people are about overlooking animal creulty. You'll give an illegal immigrant a 'drivers card', but won't enforce common human decency toward life, human and animal alike. Killing and torturing animals does not stop with the animals -- it usually extends abusing members of our society (i.e. children,elderly, spouses, parents, etc.). I knew a guy in 4-H back in California who lived on a farm. He got his kicks out of slaughtering the livestock. He liked killing. Then his mother found he'd broken all four legs of a couple of the cats on the farm. Later he'd escalated to throwing his mother around when she 'opposed' his ideas. I knew this family personally and saw the escalation. It's not about making an animal 'human', it's about preventing more serious crimes from happening in the future by getting the person instigating these inhumane acts help before they can hurt a human being. If a no-nonsense type law isn't passed, we're basically saying to these people 'it's ok if you maim, torture and kill things' while assuming the instigators have a conscience about not harming human life.

Doglover | 6:37 p.m. Feb. 10, 2008

Any act of cruelty should be a felony---1st offense.
Henry's law should be mandatory in EVERY state. End of discussion.

To: to anonymous | 8:11 p.m. Feb. 10, 2008

Actually, "required" is spelled with an "i", not an "l". As for your question, "Who is the real simpleton and idiot?" I think you answered your own question.

Mahershalalhashbaz | 10:49 p.m. Feb. 10, 2008

I have known a gizzilion people in my life, and have never once heard of an animal being tortured. I know people who have molested kids, I know a guy who was in prison for attempted murder. I'm sure it happens rarely, and I know it's awful (quit preaching why animal cruelty is wrong-that's not the issue), that doesn't mean it's necessary to create a law for animal lovers who don't want a cat or mouse hurt. This is not a huge issue. These tortures were happening a hundred years ago. No, there is something dangerous about this law. Read the bill before you make a decision. This is an evil law. We need critical thinking more than ever in this country. It's purpose is not to protect animals or humans. Remember the definition of animal is fly, bee, rat, cat, mole, bat etc etc. The purpose of this bill is to weed out the population. To these politicians who want this, like the Gay Scot McCoy, we are a deer heard population out of control. This is an effective way to murder you (by allowing disease to take it's natural course.) Crazy? Heck yes. They are crazy!

Bill isn't evil, opponents are e | 2:50 a.m. Feb. 11, 2008

We only have to turn on the television and watch Animal Cops Detroit or the other shows like it to know your comment about not knowing of an animal that has been tortured is a distortion of the truth. There are literally hundreds of incidents of animal cruelty and/or torture every year.

You may believe that people can torture my cat, beat it to a bloody pulp and shoot it in the head and stuff its body in my garbage can (one of hundreds of incidents I have watched on television) yet I don't share your sick view that this is okay. Anyone who calls this law evil is evil. Now that we have boiled this discussion down to you and your sick representatives thinking it is okay to torture pets. As for "never once heard of an animal being tortured." I guess you don't read the paper or watch television or think that cooking a dog alive isn't torture or searching classifieds to find cats to maim so you can get your ex to come over to care for them isn't torture. You are one sick individuals but sadly your kind also gets elected.

Dog pees on floor, burn it alive | 4:10 a.m. Feb. 11, 2008

Christensen, "Animals are not humans,...And they would elevate them above humans. It just doesnï¿½t make sense to me." What kind of sick person, elected or not, would think that making animal torture a felony is elevating animals above humans. There are literally hundreds of examples of animal torture (FBI studies demonstrate that approximate 85% of serial killers started out torturing and killing animals) and its impact on society.

Here are some example of whose rights Christensen wants to protect:

In Canada: a boy and "his friends hang a cat from the ceiling by a cord. They slit its throat as it struggles in the noose, then kick, beat, and disembowel it. Finally, they skin the body, cut off the head and store it in a small refrigerator" and they taped it all so they could replay it. In Waco, Texas: Two college students "shot, skinned, and beheaded a cat." In Winston County, Alabama a man shoots and while it was still alive burns it on a burning trash pile. He did it because it got into the trash.

These are only a few examples that Christensen is talking about. Apparently, since its only an animal its okay to torture it.

Sigh | 8:33 a.m. Feb. 11, 2008

You've got to wonder about people who get all upset about the idea of an animal cruelty law being passed.

Those who abuse animals (or those who think that it's OKAY to abuse animals) probably don't treat people much better.

MarleyBojangles | 6:11 p.m. Feb. 11, 2008

People seem to be forgetting that people ARE animals...perhaps torturing a human vs. torturing any other sort of animal is not viewed on the same level of morality by some, but it still has to be admitted that torture is torture, and that to perform such an act on any living creature feels the same to the victim, human or not. Henry's Law isn't about elevating other animals above humans, it's about recognizing and punishing an act of cruelty.

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