PETITION TO MAKE ANIMAL CRUELTY A FELONY

On May 8, 2008 a 9 month old shepherd mix was found near a hops field in Canyon County. The puppy had been beaten and was left for dead.  Its muzzle and front and back legs were bound together with duct tape.  There was also a large amount of blood around the dog%u2019s neck and the back of his head.  The dog was still alive and conscious when it was taken to a clinic, but the injury was so severe that the dog had to be euthanized.
 
Under the existing Idaho law, even in a horrific case such as this, judges do not have the option of imposing a felony sanction on defendants convicted of animal cruelty.  Tests show that violence towards animals is often linked to violence towards humans including family violence, school shootings, and serial killings. Yet, regardless of the heinous nature of the crime, the penalty for animal cruelty in Idaho is only a misdemeanor.  Idaho is only one of only SIX states in the nation where this is true; forty four other states have felony provisions for animal cruelty. Idaho%u2019s judges and prosecutors should be able to charge and sentence a person under a felony provision if the nature of the defendant's cruelty to an animal warrants such a punishment.

The citizens signing this Petition hereby respectfully request that the Legislature and the Governor amend Idaho law to make crimes against animals a felony instead of a misdemeanor.