Swiss Cantons (akin to States) are voting on alloting more animal lawyers to prosecute abuse cases. They vote because the Canton pays. Yes, they take animal abuse pretty seriously! Of course, not everyone is happy that pigs, horses, dogs, cows and cats get represented in court. Even the lawyer who represented a fish wanted to keep that one of his approximately 200 cases a year away from the water cooler crowd.
The Swiss Farming Association are none too happy, while the Swiss dog breeding association is all for it, noting that animals are not objects to be paraded in fashion shows or brought up in cities without proper exercise.
Swiss Animal Protection forced this nationwide vote, concerned that authorities don’t take animal abuse seriously. Given the 20% rise in reported abuse cases from 2007 to 2008, enough citizens agreed to get it on a ballot. According to the report from Associated Press, the constitution bans keeping pigs in single pens and birds alone in cages. Dogs must get training, and it will be illegal to tie up horses in their stalls effective 2013. The vote is March 7.
As I was scanning this news, I was thinking about yesterday’s blog, looking for root causes to cut kill rates at shelters. What would the lives of dogs look like if professional training for both caretaker and dog was an automatic part of all adoptions and not optional? While I realize it might be one added expense too far, if there are any foundations out there still giving out sizable grants, why not look at this issue as the determinant of whether adopted animals stay in the home or are given up or returned to the shelter? Could be a really successful program. What do you think?
Read the rest of the story at the LATimes
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On one hand, you could read this and think it sounds silly or is a waste of time. On the other hand, I think "How evolved." I know the US is supposed to be the best country … but are we best at some of the worst things?
PS – Couldn't resist this: I wonder if there's an animal witness protection program?!
Hahahaha, animal witness protection, good one! Yes, it is pretty evolved, except when you look at the grumps in Gvt who don't want to expand the number of attorneys…still, pretty cool, and also sad that we have to legislate what should be so obviously the right thing to do.
Continuing the Discussion