City Man Charged For Abandoning Chihuahua

“Would it have been so hard for this pathetic excuse of a human to hand the dog in to a shelter, if he no longer wanted it? I’m so glad someone found her in time! I have a Chihuahua & would run anyone over in my bloody wheelchair if they tried to hurt him; Chihuahuas are so tiny & fragile. I hope little one soon finds a forever home full of love!”

December 14, 2013 By A.J. Rao

LAKEWOOD – The man responsible for abandoning a female Chihuahua inside a thermal bag was charged Friday for animal cruelty.

According to the Chautauqua County Humane Society Cruelty Investigations Unit, Jose Carmona Gomez of Jamestown was determined the individual responsible for placing the Chihuahua-named Tinkerbell-inside a Coors Light thermal bag on Monday, and leaving it for dead along Southwestern Drive in Lakewood.

Gomez is scheduled to appear in Busti Court at a later date.

Ray Muniz Jr., cruelty investigator with the Humane Society, said he thanks all the individuals who have wished Tinkerbell well and that he looks forward to placing her in a good home when the time comes.

News Link:–http://post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/632601/City-Man-Charged-For-Abandoning–Chihuahua.html?nav=5192

LITH Woman Charged with Animal Cruelty; Dog Starves to Death

“I know what I would do with this sick bxxxh, throw her in jail & don’t feed her! No excuse whatsoever regards food, a full bag of dog food,yet she couldn’t even be arsed to open it…what does that tell you about her? I just pray the other dog isn’t too malnourished & will survive. At the very minimal, she must be banned from ever owning or working with any animals; nothing less will do!!”

Charmain L. Krishnan, 48, of Lake in the Hills was arrested for animal cruelty.

A Lake in the Hills woman has been charged by police with two counts of animal cruelty after she allegedly didn’t feed her dogs, causing one dog to starve to death, police said.

Charmain L. Krishnan, 48, of the 2600 block of Stanton Circle, was arrested at 3:03 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, and was charged with animal cruelty and also two counts of violation of owners duties, police arrest reports show.

LITH Police Sgt. Mark Smith said McHenry County Animal Control officials had been checking on the two dogs and recently gave Krishnan dog food for the pets.

During a routine check last week, Animal Control officials found one dog dead in the yard, and removed the other dog from the home.

“She hadn’t even opened the bag of dog food, according to Animal Control,” Sgt. Smith said. “They believe the dog died of malnourishment.”

Kirshnan was released on bond, according to police reports.

News Link:–http://algonquin.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/lake-in-the-hills-woman-charged-with-animal-cruelty-starved-dog-dies

G.I. Man Faces 2 Felonies For Killing Dog With Hammer

A Grand Island man has been charged with two felonies for beating a 6-month-old puppy to death with a ball-peen hammer.

Michael J. Berst, 26, of 2408 W. First appeared in Hall County Court via video conference Monday morning. He was charged with the cruel neglect of an animal resulting in serious injury or death and tampering with physical evidence for the April 15 incident involving a pit bull terrier mix named Buddy.

In court, Deputy Hall County Attorney Nancy Berger-Schneider said someone saw Berst tossing what appeared to be an animal’s body in a trash bin. That person notified authorities, and animal control officers from the Central Nebraska Humane Society responded and retrieved the puppy’s body from the trash. Authorities determined the puppy belonged to Berst’s family, she said.

The animal had been killed by blows to the head from a ball-peen hammer, she said.

When questioned by police, Berst admitted killing his family’s dog, she said.

According to online records from the Hall County Jail, Berst was arrested at his home on Sunday.

Berger-Schneider asked for a bond of 10 percent of $100,000 due to the “heinous nature” of the crime and because Berst has previously failed to appear in court when required in another case. Hall County Judge Art Wetzel granted the request.

Prior to the setting of his bond, Berst said he thought he could hire his own attorney. Wetzel told him that if he’s unable to hire an attorney, he can request court-appointed counsel and fill out a financial affidavit for the court to review.

Berst’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. June 11. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each felony.

According to court records, Berst’s criminal history in Hall County includes charges of aiding and abetting a felony and misdemeanor theft in 2005, misdemeanor criminal mischief in 2006 and driving under suspension in 2011.

Laurie Dethloff, Central Nebraska Humane Society executive director, said, as far as she knew, animal control officers hadn’t investigated Berst for animal cruelty in the past.

In this case, they were called by a woman who was concerned when she saw a man throwing an animal’s body away. Humane Society staff was later contacted by someone who’d spoken to Berst about the dog’s death. That led to an investigation, she said.

She said it was her understanding that Berst told police officers he had struck the dog because he was angry at the animal for relieving himself on the floor.

Dethloff praised the two people who contacted the Humane Society with information in this case. She said hearing from the public is key in building many of the neglect and abuse cases animal control officers investigate.

“We’re starting to see more suspicious stuff,” she said. “The neglect we are seeing has accelerated over the last six to nine months. It’s unnerving.”

 His pretrial is scheduled for July 17.

News Link:–http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/regional_news/g-i-man-faces-felonies-for-killing-dog-with-hammer/article_d05e5ac0-ac25-11e2-8c7f-001a4bcf887a.html

Donation Ordered To Humane Society In Cennitra Fowler Dog Abuse Case

“Personally, I think this cold hearted bitch; deserved a far more severe sentence for letting a dog die! She got off bloody lightly & shouldn’t be allowed to own other animals period. What’s the point in ordering someone to a attend an animal care class; when they clearly don’t give a shit about animals!!”

ST. LOUIS • A St. Louis woman has admitted to one of the city’s worst known cases of animal neglect, in which she starved her two dogs to near death, then threw one of them away in the trash bin behind her house.

Cennitra Fowler

The dog who was tossed in the trash later died. He was named “Our Little Boy” by Stray Rescue, the animal rescue group that tried to save him. The other dog, “Our Little Girl,” was so emaciated she could not stand, but ultimately recovered and was adopted.

Stray Rescue founder Randy Grim called it one of the worst cases of animal neglect he’s experienced, and when the cityannounced the formation of an Animal Abuse Task Force in September, it was one of the first to be prosecuted.

Cennitra Fowler, 22, the owner of the two dogs, pleaded guilty on Friday to two misdemeanor counts of animal abuse. In exchange for her plea, prosecutors recommended and a judge ordered she serve one year of unsupervised probation in which she will have to perform 24 hours of community service, take an animal care class with Stray Rescue and donate $75 to the Humane Society of Missouri. She is also not allowed to have or care for any pets during that time.

The range of punishment for an animal abuse charge is up to one year in jail.

On Tuesday, Grim said he thought Fowler “got off quite easy” given the trauma the dogs went through, but that he also understands sentencing options were limited for the misdemeanor charges that were issued.

“If she doesn’t want to go to jail she has to do everything right and take responsibility for her actions,” he noted. “One dog died because of her. Could (the sentence) be tougher? Sure. But I’m just glad there’s an educational component.”

Grim said the class at Stray Rescue is not an easy one, and he will not hesitate to report to the judge if Fowler does not participate wholeheartedly.

“This is her chance to show she can be responsible,” he said.

Fowler called the city about her two dogs in October 2011; it’s not clear why. Stray Rescue volunteers who responded said they found the female dog with bones protruding.

“I threw the other dog away,” Fowler told them of the male dog.

Prosecutors said the formation of the task force a year later enabled them to charge Fowler. Before the task force, there was no coordinated approach between the city health department, police and Stray Rescue.

Cases like Fowler’s had also previously been handled as ordinance violations in municipal court.

News Link:-http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-woman-admits-to-throwing-dog-in-trash-bin/article_596d8a0e-a1c6-5d47-a23b-7ccef2a22b04.html

Video: Bad To Chase Bunnies At The Rodeo?

One bunny had a broken jaw and was missing its tail. Three more wound up at the home of a Cottage Grove employee after a co-worker said her kids couldn’t keep them. “Video at end of this post”!

Heather Crippen of Red Barn Rabbit Rescue says that those were a few of the results of a previous “animal scramble” at the Cottage Grove Rodeo.

Bunny at recent animal scramble. Photo Scott Becstead/HSUS

Crippen started Red Barn with her daughter and runs the small rescue out of her farm in Creswell. She says with 50 rabbits already and a waiting list of 20 more, she wants to avoid more hurt and homeless bunnies. She has been asking the rodeo, which will take place July 12-13, to sponsor a different event for children.

Rabbits are fragile and the event stresses, sickens and even kills them, she says. In the animal scramble last year, and at a recent one at Myrtle Creek in Douglas County, rabbits were tossed out of trailers or pickup trucks and into an arena where hordes of children were unleashed to chase and catch them.

Red Barn’s video of the 2012 scramble shows bunnies getting stepped on and, Crippen says, paralyzed with fear. If the kids catch a rabbit at the event, they keep it. An attendee at the Myrtle Creek scramble was reported to have said to his child, “You going to catch us a rabbit? Going to help dad butcher it?”

Crippen has offered to donate money to the Cottage Grove Riding Club (CGRC) for a different, animal-friendly event, such as one that hides money and prizes inside plastic eggs. The rodeo and scramble are a fundraiser for the riding club. At press time, the rescue’s offer has not been accepted.

CGRC president Kelli Fisher says the event benefits the community and it gives children “the opportunity to experience raising their own animal.”

Red Barn has discovered that the scramble is subject to USDA regulations. “They have to get licensed and inspected,” Crippen says. “Many of the regulations are for the protection and safety of the rabbits.” And she says she was told the rodeo only recently applied for the license, so she’s not sure how they will get approved in time.

Crippen emailed the club in May, asking that this year’s event be removed, saying she has heard from PETA and other groups that want to protest the scramble. Crippen wrote that Red Barn has tried to discourage protest and “we prefer a professional approach to this disagreement.”

The riding club responded with a letter from attorney Milton E. Gifford, who alleges that Crippen’s email “threatened that there would be protests and picketing.” He tells her that she does “not have the right to videotape any portion of the rodeo” and calls her email “veiled threats” and says she will “be held personally liable for intentional interference with business relations.” Fisher says, “I and our board consider Red Barn and its members to be cruel, hurtful and a threat to our families.”

Scott Beckstead, Oregon director for the Humane Society of the United States, has been supporting Crippen’s efforts to end the scramble. He says…

“It is our position that this event is inherently cruel to the rabbits, and promotes unhealthy attitudes about pet ownership by awarding live animals as ‘prizes.’ Rabbits are delicate, sensitive little creatures, and turning them loose in a rodeo arena to be chased by a throng of children subjects them to an unreasonable risk of terror, shock and injury.”

Beckstead says that rabbits are the third most common animal at shelters and humane societies, and events such as the scramble strain those resources. Crippen and Beckstead have met with Faye Stewart, the Lane County commissioner from Cottage Grove, and Crippen spoke to the County Commission on June 4 about her concerns over the animal scramble. Fisher says CGRC is working with the local Humane Society chapter to improve the event.

Rabbit Scramble Event – South Douglas Rodeo

Published on 9 Jun 2013

**Filmed by a volunteer

South Douglas Rodeo’s “traditional” rabbit scramble is a youth event for children under the age of six years old. The children as lined up on the fence while rabbits are dumped into the arena from the bed of a truck. On go, the children sprint and chase down their prey, a living “prize” that will come with a small baggy of food and a sticker with care instructions.

Share your thoughts about the “Rabbit Scramble” and send your opinion to the South Douglas Rodeo.

Send letters to:
South Douglas Rodeo 
1170 North Myrtle Road
Myrtle Creek, OR 97457

Please consider supporting Red Barn Rabbit Rescue and making a donation.
www.redbarnrabbitrescue.org

News Link:-http://www.eugeneweekly.com/20130613/news-briefs/bad-chase-bunnies-rodeo

Chambersburg Man Pleads Guilty to Animal Cruelty Charges

CHAMBERSBURG, PA– A Chambersburg man has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges on Thursday after officials say they found five dead puppies on his porch.

Humane Society officials say Shawn Robinson plead guilty to 16 counts of animal cruelty, five of which were for failing to provide proper veterinary care for the puppies. And the other 11 charges were for leaving animals, including his four other dogs, in neglect.

Police say Robinson was trying to sell the puppies for quick cash.

The 14-week-old puggle puppies had apparently developed a highly contagious virus, known as Canine parvovirus, with symptoms such as dehydration, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Officials say the disease can be fatal, resulting in a very painful death. 

Robinson had apparently sought treatment for the puppies, but said he could not afford the costly treatments.

Police say the puppies were left out on the porch in a shoe-box for two weeks and not treated. They died within four days. 

Officials say in the plea agreement, Robinson must surrender his four other dogs by June 21 to the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter.  They also say Robinson must pay a $1,500 fine for the dead puppies, as well as court costs.

According to court documents, Robinson has a criminal history that includes theft, fighting and filing a false police report.

Officials say Robinson is not allowed to own any pets for four years. If he does he could go to jail.

Robinson will be serving 100 days of house arrest.

News Link:-http://your4state.com/fulltext?nxd_id=313692

Camden Dog Owner Arrested for Starving Dog To Death: Laineys Story

ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. — The owner of a dog that died earlier this week from starvation is now facing charges.

Starved Dog Died

Ian West, 25, was arrested by the sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Unit on a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals. His dog, Lainey, was rescued on Friday from his home in Camden. Officials say the dog was left outside without food or water for months.

Lainey was an Australian shepherd mix, a breed which normally weighs about 45-50 pounds. But when she was found, they say she only weighed 15 pounds and was so weak, she could barely stand.

Lainey died Monday after being taken to the Rome Humane Society.

Two Rottweiler mix puppies were also taken from the home.

West was arraigned in the Town of Camden Court and is being held on $5,000 bail.

News Link:–http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/665798/camden-dog-owner-arrested/

Rome Humane Society officials say they take in at least one abused animal a month. Some who have been beaten, others neglected. But this past weekend, workers at the Humane Society say they saw one of their saddest cases yet, when an extremely emaciated dog came through their door and died from her injuries. Our Cara Thomas tells us Lainey’s story and what local animal lovers are doing to make sure the abuser is brought to justice.

ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. –“Lainey was pure, unadulterated love with everything she was going through, she always wanted to lick your hand and cuddle in your arms,” said Kim Strong, an animal behaviorist and trainer.

Lainey Starved To Death

Abused and neglected, Lainey, an Australian shepherd mix, was found last Friday at a home on Babcock Road in Camden. She was without food, without water and was only skin and bones.

Rome Humane Society’s Director Sarah Starczewski said, “You could put with one hand, your whole hand would fit finger to finger around her neck and around her stomach and waist area.”

Rescued by an Oneida County Sheriff’s deputy and the Camden dog control officer, officials say she was so weak she couldn’t even hold up her head. People involved in Lainey’s rescue believe she had been starved for months.

“He would get out of his truck every day and walk past Lainey to get into his home knowing that this dog was starving. Crying, Lainey eating stones and grass to try to survive. He was very aware of what was going on with her,” said Starczewski.

They took Lainey to the veterinarian, put her on a very strict diet and provided around the clock care, but that wasn’t enough. On Monday morning, Lainey died from starvation.

“It wasn’t her time to go. She was forced onto the rainbow bridge because nobody cared enough to stop this man,” says Strong.

The people involved in Lainey’s rescue say their biggest worry is that her abuser may get away with it as animal cruelty laws aren’t as simple as some may think.

Strong explains, “The laws are a part of the Department of Agriculture. They’re extremely confusing and most people aren’t trained in them. We don’t have an Oneida County animal control officer.”

Animal advocates say it’s time for social change. They say animal cruelty laws aren’t on the animal’s side and normally these cases are pushed under the rug. So they’re reaching out to local legislators hoping to change these laws for the better.

“We need to be fighting in her name. There needs to be a Lainey’s Law so this never happens again,” said Strong.

Officials from the Oneida County Sheriff’s office say animal cruelty charges are currently pending.

A Justice for Lainey Facebook Page has been set up.

News Link:-http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/665463/seeking-justice-for-lainey/

Monday was Lainey’s Day for Humane Society

Animal rights advocates in Oneida County are starting a new push for tougher laws against animal abuse. YNN’s Andrew Sorensen tells us the story of one dog who inspired thousands of people to stand up for the cause.

Human Society Never Forget Lainey

ROME, N.Y. — Everything from the flowers to the candles is technically for Lainey.

“They’re supposed to show Lainey that we’re all standing here for her,” said advocate Kim Strong.

“Today we’re honoring a life cut short. Lainey’s Day,” Humane Society of Rome Operations Manager Sarah Starczewski said.

“Lainey’s story is the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Strong.

Strong has taken in abused dogs before. Her dog, Sapphir,e was starved down to 19 pounds before she took him in. But this one was different.

“That kind of gentleness out of a dog that was tortured for so long broke the camel’s back for me,” she said. Lainey was found in Camden on May 17th. “I have not to date seen a dog that was starved to that point,” said Starczewski. She ended up with Starczewski at the Humane Society of Rome.

“When she would go outside, because she would want to go outside to go to the bathroom, she had to be held by someone underneath so she could actually walk without falling over,” Starczewski said.

Lainey died and her owner was charged with felony animal cruelty. But Starczewski said too often, those charges don’t stick. “It shouldn’t be okay or even looked over to do what you did to an animal and just get a slap on the wrist,” she said.

So Lainey’s death sparked a new flame. “I decided to tell her story to Facebook and we got so many people that care. Because the story was real and it’s unconscionable,” said Strong.

“Now we have over 3,000 people that are supporting this,” Starczewski explained. They’re starting with a memorial and an award to honor Lainey and rescuers. “The candles are supposed to light the way for change,” Strong said.

Strong also said she doesn’t think that alone will change people who do these kinds of things. “No. But it’s a beginning,” she said. Their ultimate goal is stiffer felony penalties to make sure those people are held accountable.

The Humane Society of Rome says they plan to give out the award on a regular basis to someone who has been a hero or a guardian to animals in the community.

News Link:–http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/667518/monday-was-lainey-s-day-for-humane-society/

Ag-Gag Laws Almost Lead to a Prosecution in Utah

First Ag-Gag Prosecution Almost Comes to Fruition in Utah

Amy Meyer was driving by the Dale Smith Meatpacking Company slaughterhouse in Utah when she decided to pull over and videotape what she saw: piles or horns littered across the property, cows being dragged across the grounds, one cow in particularly who appeared sick or injured being hauled off in a tractor “as though she were nothing more than rubble,” Meyer told the online paper Green is the New Red.

Meyer’s videotaping did not go over well with the slaughterhouse manager, Darrel H. Smith, the town mayor, who told her to stop. She made it clear that she was not on his property, and had every right to record anything she wanted.

At least that’s what she thought.

However, later on Meyer learned that she was going to be prosecuted under Utah’s new law (a law many people refer to as an “ag-gag law”) which is designed to prohibit undercover videos of farms and slaughterhouses.

The charges were eventually dropped, perhaps since Meyer was on the roadside, and not trespassing on private property (although Utah’s law is sketchy on those particulars). However, this brings to light the progress that these ag-gag laws have made over the course of the year.

Background on Ag-Gag Laws

Ag-Gag Laws aren’t that new. Kansas, Montana, and North Dakota all have had forms of this type of law in place for the last two decades. But in recent years more and more states are considering implementing rules that prohibit undercover videos of animal abuse. Much of this has come as a result of troubling videos made by groups like the Humane Society and Mercy for Animals. These videos were truly undercover, meaning that the videos were taken on the property of the farms (oftentimes by employees-turned-whistleblowers of the farm or slaughterhouse).

Most of the Ag-Gag laws don’t prohibit the ability to film from a roadside (like Meyer did). However, states are finding ways around this. For example, Pennsylvania’s proposed bill criminalizes anyone who “records an image of, or sound from, the agricultural operation,” or who “uploads, downloads, transfers or otherwise sends” footage using the Internet.

Tennessee’s bill passed, and is awaiting the governor’s signature. During the process, however, one state rep (Andy Holt) referred to the Humane Society’s use of undercover footage of animal abuse as no different than how human-traffickers use 17-year-old women. He claims that organizations like the Humane Society “seek to profit from animal abuse” using a “tape and rape” method.

Proponents of ag-gag laws share at least part of Holt’s sentiment. Proponents claim that if any animal abuse does take place at a facility, employees have the ability, and obligation, to report to authorities. Videos, they believe, do nothing but sensationalize the problem, and, in fact, those who videotape these abuses for use in supporting a cause are participating in the abuse. Those who videotape animal abuse ought to be required to submit the evidence to police, immediately, rather than to broadcast it to the world.

Opponents of ag-gag laws claim that employees are not likely to openly report abuses to authorities, because they aren’t quick to report themselves or their co-workers. Furthermore, opponents claim that these videos can be used later on as evidence of abuse, if formal charges are ever brought to light.

However, above all else, opponents of ag-gag laws claim that not being able to broadcast abuse severely limits their ability to inform the public of the truth. When people actually get to see and hear the abuse, they’ll realize the problem is far worse than they imagined. These images and videos might stir people into anger and, eventually action.

Currently Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Vermont are considering ag-gag laws similar to that of Utah and Tennessee.

Well-known animal activists, such as Carrie Underwood, aren’t taken this ag-gag progress lightly. On April 18, soon after Tennessee’s bill passed, she tweeted this to her thousands of followers:

“Shame on TN lawmakers for passing the Ag Gag bill. If Gov. Bill Haslam signs this, he needs to expect me at his front door. Who’s with me?”

Well, who’s with her?

News Link:-http://www.allpetnews.com/ag-gag-laws-almost-lead-to-a-prosecution-in-utah

Emily Deschanel’s PETA Ad Targets Troubling Dairy Farm Practices (Video)

Bones’ star Emily Deschanel has joined with PETA to highlight controversial practices within the U.S. dairy industry.

Emily Deschanel Reveals Shocking Dairy Farm Cruelty (Some Distressing Scenes)

Published on 6 May 2013

Emily Deschanel has the joy of raising her son every day, but mother cows on dairy farms have their calves torn away from them just hours after they’re born. Removing dairy products from your diet helps cows and keeps you and your family healthier. Find out how to cut dairy products out of your diet:https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy…

The ad was released in advance of Mother’s Day and criticizes the separation of dairy cows from their young, tail docking and other controversial practices faced by themore than 9 million dairy cows in the U.S.

Large-scale factory farms are facing scrutiny as reports of animal cruelty have emerged over the past few years. Some dairy farms are particularly problematic due to the forced production of milk and unsanitary living conditions, often inside feed lots without grass, the Humane Society reported in 2008.

Animal rights organizations have received some star-studded endorsements recently,including those from Ke$ha and Ryan Gosling.

News Link:-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/12/emily-deschanel-peta-ad_n_3240370.html?utm_hp_ref=green

AgGag Casts Doubt On Bill Requiring Quick Turnover of Animal Abuse Photos To Police

Tennessee’s proposed “Ag Gag” law suffered a setback Thursday when the state’s attorney general labeled it “constitutionally suspect” and said it could violate freedom of the press and the right against self-incrimination.

The bill, awaiting either Gov. Bill Haslam’s signature or veto, would force anyone who purposefully took pictures or video of livestock abuse to turn those over to law enforcement within 48 hours.

That limits the media, incriminates those who captured the video through trespassing and exposes police to copyright problems should the public ask for copies, Attorney General Robert Cooper wrote.

Haslam has until Wednesday to either sign or veto the bill, his spokesman confirmed, but the governor’s office offered no further comment. If he took no action at all, it would pass into law automatically, with those who broke it facing a $50 fine.

The bill’s author, Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, said he didn’t see a constitutional problem and compared its provisions to forcing medical doctors to report suspected child abuse.

A hog farmer and relentless critic of the Humane Society of the United States, Holt said the only reason someone would want to videotape animal abuse and hang onto it would be for profit.

“If people are engaged in criminal activity, it will be abundantly apparent.  “No it will not” You don’t have to have two months to provide clarity to law enforcement,” Holt said. “Ask yourself this question: Should an animal have to suffer an abusive situation for two months?” “Those animals will suffer whether being videod or not, if they are already in an abusive situation; often the management don’t know their animals are being abused. To ensure a conviction, evidence has to be collected over a period of time, so people can’t say it was a “one off” act of violence…FFS people…open your eyes. Those who want Ag-Gag laws must want them for a reason!!”

A two-month undercover investigation by the Humane Society led to state and federal animal abuse charges last year against famed Tennessee Walking Horse trainer Jackie McConnell of Collierville. The group released stomach-turning video of McConnell beating a horse and of its legs being chemically burned to encourage the breed’s prized longer, higher gait.

Holt said his bill has nothing to do with that case. Instead, it would prevent video of legitimate animal husbandry being represented as inhumane and used for fund raising, he said.

Humane Society leaders held a news conference earlier Thursday at Gaylord Opryland Convention Center, where the group is holding its Animal Care Expo. They denounced Holt’s bill and called upon the Tennessee attorney general’s office to investigate the walking horse industry.

A letter from the group to Cooper cites a 76 percent positive rate on U.S. Department of Agriculture tests for foreign substances on horses’ legs at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration last year in Shelbyville.

“We need to know what perversion looks like and not be a part of any activity to either celebrate it, encourage it or somehow honor it,” said Dr. Michael Blackwell, president of the online Humane Society University.

Mike Inman, the Celebration’s CEO, didn’t respond to messages left Thursday but has said that walking horse trainers found McConnell’s actions deplorable. He said the industry is striving for 100 percent compliance with the federal Horse Protection Act.

Written by Heidi Hall The Tennessean

News Like:-http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130510/NEWS0201/305100086/AG-casts-doubt-bill-requiring-quick-turnover-animal-abuse-photos-police?nclick_check=1