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Gene Kennedy reportingA West Jordan family came home yesterday and found their dog shot dead in the backyard. The incident comes as Utah lawmakers are considering tougher legislation against animal cruelty; but animal lovers say it's not tough enough.
Police don't know who shot Jeff and Debra Stoddard's dog, but they are pursuing leads. If the person is caught, he will face a misdemeanor charge. The Stoddards say animal cruelty should be a felony on the first offense. But the issue of "first offense" is what lawmakers are wrestling with.
Debra Stoddard said, "I knew he was shot because he's always pouncing on the door to get in."
When Debra Stoddard came home yesterday she found her 1-year-old golden lab "Bert" shot at close range with a 22-caliber gun.
"I think it was murder. Most pet owners will tell you their animals are like their children," she said.
The Stoddards say Bert was on the family's property, not wandering around. Now they want answers. "If the dog was disturbing them, I wish they would have said something because we would have done something to prevent any trouble," Debra said.
Coincidentally, Bert's death comes as Senator Allen Christensen is sponsoring a bill that would make animal cruelty a felony but only on a second offense. Christensen thinks Senate Bill 117 is a reasonable compromise.
"They want to color in Utah to say that Utah has a felony provision. This bill provides one, but it protects a little bit those who do a one time stupid thing," Sen. Christensen said.
The Stoddards think the more lenient bill isn't right. Animal rights supporters are outraged and some lawmakers feel the bill will set Utah back 20 years in the fight against animal cruelty.
Democrat Senator Gene Davis is sponsoring tougher animal cruelty legislation, but his bill wasn't heard today. Instead, SB117 moved forward. It passed out of a Senate committee. The full Senate will hear it soon.
