NEWS: Making Cruelty to Animals a Felony Offense

Tony DeMeo is a compassionate man and most residents of Nye County are proud to have him as our Sheriff. Of course, with the exceptions of a few. Those few are the low-lifes, unscrupulous, money-grubbing individuals who could careless, about inflicting pain or death on animals...



Last year the Sheriff's office raided dog fighting and cockfighting operations. Several arrests were made, but many fled the scene. Our humane society believes that Sheriff Tony DeMeo's testimony before congress would offer a good chance of the legislation passing. Most of the animals confiscated in these illicit operations are put down, due to the severe injuries. Kuddo's for our Sheriff!

Related News Links:
www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com
www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com

[edit on 20-7-2004 by Zion Mainframe]

[edit on 20-7-2004 by Banshee]

I work in the animal industry and there is only one problem with the felony idea and that is where to draw the line with what you consider cruel. I personally pamper my animals any time i can however if some inspector comes up to my house on an off day and i havent cleaned my pens and there is feces piled up in one corner am i being cruel or did the animal just do what it normally does?

Additionally there recently was a guy that was charged for cruelty to animals for feeding a kitten to a large snake , i personally fail to see the cruelty. Every day snakes and other reptilians eat mice and rats , currently there is a big industry supplying these animals for feed either alive or prekilled. Now i ask you what is the difference between feeding a rat to a snake then feeding a kitten to a snake? The only difference i see is the kitten is cute and cuddly therefore it is wrong , the rat on the other hand isnt so cute and cudldly so let him die. ( see what i mean? where do you draw the line? )

I work in the animals field and have for 18 years! If every person worked in out field for one month....minds would change. My preferred breeds are Pit Bulls, G shepherds and miniature Schnauzers, though I am animal nut about all breeds and types of animals...Anyone who can can take an innocent animal and fight them, in my opinion is nothing short of a monster! I abhor these sub humans! I think animal cruelty should be a felony and it's not that hard to draw the line! I also believe you should have to do some types of testing or study before owning an animal....and breeding should be illegal unless you are a licensed, meaning, tested and licensed breeder! The things are see are degusting!

If humans have stature above all other creatures, is it not our responsibility to show kindness, care and compassion to those lesser then ourselves? To speak for those with no voice, to act for those who cannot? CloudDancer Mogle (AKA LadyV)

Ladv when i said animal field i didnt mean your run of the mill dog breeding or domestic field. When i say i have worked in the animal field i mean every aspect from import, export, nutritional advisor, feed producer, dietary researcher, breeder, rehaber, etc. As for liscensing i am licensed , with the animals i deal with it is required that i be usda liscensed and i get inspected twice a year. Addtionally all of my medical records must be up to date on all of my animals as well i must provide the USDA with documents showing where any new animals came from as well as show them where any of the animals i have bred go to. I admit this in no way makes me an expert as there is always new things to learn but im just pointing out i am familiar with just about every aspect of animal husbandry. Yet even with all of this documentation an occasional PETA person shows up and preaches how my animals are being abused even though they are living better then me. And as history will show any laws written about aniamals are written in such a vague manner that anyone could be considered abusing an animal additionally there is always some sort of clause nesteled within the law that gives the right to take your animals away if they suspect any abuse. Granted this all sounds fine and dandy but if you take in a stray and it looks like crap and you try to nurse it back to health and during this time a neighbor call animal control becuase they see this poor looking creature in your back yard you get fined! Did you abuse the animal? No you didnt you tried to assist it and as a result of the way the laws are written and a noisy neighbor you get fined and the animal is taken away from you. If you make it a felony then you also get the joys of prison time and a marked record. I in no way condone animal cruelty but what does one consider cruelty is where the line gets skewed and if not careful your right to even have an animal could be taken away.



I notice no one cared to comment on my kitten versus rat subject, its also like the people i hear preaching how hunting deer is so evil yet they make this comment as they take a bite of the hamburger in front of them. Its these same people ive listened to getting so offended when someone kicks a dog that also tell tales of setting cats on fire but to them hurting a cats ok?

Have you ever eaten any kosher meat? every wonder how they made it kosher? They Put its head through a hole and harness its body so it cant move then rather then knock it in the head with a sledge hammer ( like they do other wise ) they slit its throat and let it bleed to death.

Have you ever eaten veal? Ever wonder how it was different from other beef? Veal is a young cow that is fed nothing but milk and constantly has diearea, its kept in a crate in the dark so it cant move and toughen up any muscles or devlop any muscles then its killed and brought to your plate. Some farms even remove the calfs legs so it cant move at all.

Then you have chickens , they are hatched at large farms then pumped full of steroids so they can have thier heads chopped off and thier feathers plucked then brought to market. Within 6 months a chick can be pumped full of so many steroids it can go from new born to an 8 pound bird in your local market.

Did you ever wonder why pigs had rings in thier noses? Its to keep the pigs nose sore all the time, this prevents the pig from rooting up the dirt or whatever else it encounters.

The above scenarios sound pretty cruel to me but they happen every day, but to these animals cruelty i guess does not apply becuase they arent cute and cuddly?

As for dog fighting i find it useless and cruel but it happens. Unfortunetely for those of you with pit bulls its that breed that is most often used in these fights so it adds to thier bad publicity. A little known fact that most people dont relize is that pit bulls are not the most common dog to turn on you they are just the ones with the most powerful bite and they have a large bite radius. The last time i checked the most commonly reported dog attacking its owners was a Dalmation ( yes you read that right) Combine the bite radius and the jaw power and you get an animal cpapble of hurting someone pretty bad but at the same time all other dogs and pets are capable of doing this.Pit bulls unfortunetely get a bad wrap do to the damage they could do, not for damage they have actually done.

If humans have stature above all other creatures, is it not our responsibility to show kindness, care and compassion to those lesser then ourselves? To speak for those with no voice, to act for those who cannot? CloudDancer Mogle (AKA LadyV)

Allthough a very pretty saying who is to say what you think the animal wants isnt different from what i or others think it wants? Who is to be designated as the voice for the animal?

I have pet rats too. I still hold that it is NOT had to draw the line on abuse! I am not for animal experimentation, but I know that field would not be including...too much money at stake there But laws need to be in place and it needs to be a felony for abuse...and it just not that hard to define abuse of an animal...anyone with an amount of intelligence could figure it out.
EDIT: Thought I'd add that I DO NOT breed I Vet teched for a long time then went into the field of grooming, too upsetting Teching!!!

[edit on 7/20/2004 by LadyV]

There is a big difference in killing a cow for meat and burning a kitten alive on a grill.

www.news.com.au...

Animal cruelty is a stepping stone to the abuse of larger animals: humans.

Originally posted by Jonna
There is a big difference in killing a cow for meat and burning a kitten alive on a grill.

www.news.com.au...

Animal cruelty is a stepping stone to the abuse of larger animals: humans.

Well put!!! I am not an unintelligent woman and I am not a vegetarian. I can see the difference between killing a cow (though it needs to be humanely) and using the whole cow for food source, and killing a frog just to eat it's legs.....

EDIT I wanted to add that the link you provide is just sickening. I see no reason for such trash, sub humans to exist. They have no respect for life or suffering.

[edit on 7/20/2004 by LadyV]

minniescar you make a very valid point and I understand what you are saying. I am not a P.E.T.A. person. I believe there is much to be considered, if this new law is passed. I will send this link to our Sheriff before he goes to congress. There has to be something written to protect people like yourself. To a snake food is food whether it's an ugly rat or a cute kitten.
What happens here is people come and go. It's not unusual for them to just drop off their pet in the desert. They don't want to be bothered with them. Many times we have found and taken in poor starving, dehydrated cats or dogs wondering in the desert. We've tried to nurse them back to health, but some with no avail. Some were just too far gone for our expertise and know how. We are not veterinarians. Luckily we have no busy-body neighbors. We are a small town and the Sheriff knows who's who. But I realize it's not this way in most towns.


[edit on 7/20/2004 by MountainStar]

Why the push to make it a federal offense rather than a crime under state law? How do the feds have jurisidiction over this type of activity that occurs in Nye County (the Kingdom of Nye), Nevada?

Ladv either you are a speed reader or you didnt read my entire post , the average person reads 250 words a minute and my post is 938 words long. So in less then 4 minutes you read my post , took the time to take it in and form an opinion and type a reply?

and it just not that hard to define abuse of an animal...anyone with an amount of intelligence could figure it out.

That is what is called an opinion and each person has one and most of the time they are not the same. You will find very few people who disagree with the statement "cruelty to animals is just plain wrong" But you will find differences in what people consider cruelty. PETA considers fishing cruel, people who fight dogs are probably from an area where it is considered the norm and it has been done for years so to them this would not be cruel. The same thing applies to cock fighting people have grown up doing it so it doesnt seem cruel to them therfore its thier opinion. People in the meat industry treat animals horrificly at times but this too seems acceptable but heaven forbid its done to something cute. I notice you stated that this wouldnt apply to animal testing becuase there is to much money in it. To me setting a pig on fire alive just to see how its skin burns for burn research seems quite a bit more cruel then two dogs being trained to kill each other. See cruelty is defined by opinion to some something seems cruel to others its the norm. Has i grown up in mexico or the southern US most likely i would be raising dogs to fight as to me it would be the norm but i didnt so to me it seems cruel.


As to the guy grilling a cat, if he had eaten it would anyone be able to say a thing to him? Personally i think he is a sick individual but again thats my opinion and opinions are like a$$holes everyone has one and most of them stink.

Every animal has a right to live on this planet all we think about is our future and our needs!
We dont think about wat will happen in hundreds of years to come!
The worlds population grows larger everyday oneday the world will have no rainforests or plants as they would have been cut down to make room for housing!!

Large snakes should not be kept as pets. They are potentially dangerous. I think Pythons and anacondas and the like should be illegal. Just like having a pet tiger or pet alligator.

Thus, rats, kittens, nor rabbits should be fed to these snakes. I think whoever did this was pretty sick. Feeding a kitten?

The difference is, Cats are pets themselves, thats thier sole purpose. Rats are bred and raised for a multitude of purposes.

People get uptight about feeding kittens to snakes because cats and dogs are considered mainstream companion animals. Rats are considered, for the most part, to be vermin. Rats are exterminated professionally when found to infest homes and apartment houses, ditto mice. Is it fair? Maybe not, as there are many who find rats to be very pleasing pets. I think in this instance, "cruelty" will have to be very specifically defined, regardless of the animal involved. Most people instantly think of companion animals because that's the segment of the animal population that gets the most publicity when harmed. There will be gray areas, but I think most people could agree that torture is easily recognized. As for neglect, if the animal's housing is normally clean and someone complains on a bad day, the inspector should be able to make the determination that it is indeed just a bad day. I'm no expert, but I can tell an off day from systematic neglect just in what I've seen in my own personal experience.

When it comes to the food industry and farming, that's going to have to be covered by a seperate set of laws, I think. Aren't they already monitored by the FDA for animal treatment and such? It's a HUGE can of worms, like so many other disturbing issues. Peel off the top layer to deal with it and find that there are more and more layers beneath. The cost of really cleaning up the situation is probably also quite prohibitive. What's the answer?

Originally posted by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf
Large snakes should not be kept as pets. They are potentially dangerous. I think Pythons and anacondas and the like should be illegal. Just like having a pet tiger or pet alligator.

Thus, rats, kittens, nor rabbits should be fed to these snakes. I think whoever did this was pretty sick. Feeding a kitten?

The difference is, Cats are pets themselves, thats thier sole purpose. Rats are bred and raised for a multitude of purposes.

I love my rats. They are extremely affectionate and intelligent. I get so tired of hearing the lame excuse of, "but that's nature" bull crap! It's nature in the wild, sure! It's survival of the fittest, the way it should be. It IS NOT nature when you put something in a cage for food that has no chance of escape! I don't think snakes should be kept as pets.

it SHOULD be a FELONY........cant believe it isnt. It really SHOULD BE...... stupid people that cant house or feed animals should not be allowed to keep them.......
I am on board with the ~F E L O N Y~ aspect.

I am saying this thinking of a case where a woman kept horses tied up to her mobile home with hardly enough food to keep them alive....when rescued the horses who were young had maggotty HOLES in theyre hides and you could see every bone in theyre body.....one even had an unfixed broken legg. THIS kind of animal husbandry should be a F E L O N Y.

If you cant AFFORD to get shots for you cat or dog and they DIE from a sickness the shots would have prevented I think THAT is also a F E L O N Y.

The farming practices are just farming practices....and if folks dont like it? then DONT EAT MEAT.

[edit on 20-7-2004 by theRiverGoddess]

I just received an e-mail from our Sheriff Tony DeMeo.

Hi MountainStar

Apparently there is some confusion as to my purpose to testify in Washington,
D.C. It is to assist in the passage of H.R. Bill 4264. This is to strengthen
animal fighting laws of the federal level. It is not breed specific or
anything else. It does not have anything to do with if we own a cat or dog,
only if you raise the animal or breed for fighting stock to fight the animal.

It will make animal fighting a Felony offense.

PETA IS NOT INVOLVED IN THIS BILL

Hope this clears the issue up. I might not have to be called to D.C. if there
is belief that this bill will pass with out my testimony. I had to get funding
for the possibility of the trip.

Tony DeMeo
Sheriff

108th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 4264
To amend title 18, United States Code, to strengthen prohibitions against
animal fighting, and for other purposes.

To amend title 18, United States Code, to strengthen prohibitions against
animal fighting, and for other purposes.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States
of America in Congress assembled,


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement of 2004'.

SEC. 2. ENFORCEMENT OF ANIMAL FIGHTING PROHIBITIONS.

a) In General- Chapter 3 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding
at the end the following:

`Sec. 39. Animal fighting prohibition

`(a) Sponsoring or Exhibiting an Animal in an Animal Fighting Venture-

`(1) In general- Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful for
any person to knowingly sponsor or exhibit an animal in an animal fighting
venture, if any animal in the venture was moved in interstate or foreign
commerce.

`(2) Special rule for certain states- With respect to fighting ventures
involving live birds in a State where it would not be in violation of the law,
it shall be unlawful under this subsection for a person to sponsor or exhibit
a bird in the fighting venture only if the person knew that any bird in the
fighting venture was knowingly bought, sold, delivered, transported, or
received in interstate or foreign commerce for the purpose of participation in
the fighting venture.

`(b) Buying, Selling, Delivering, or Transporting Animals for Participation in
Animal Fighting Venture- It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly
sell, buy, transport, or deliver, or receive for purposes of transportation,
in interstate or foreign commerce, any dog or other animal for purposes of
having the dog or other animal participate in an animal fighting venture.

`(c) Use of Postal Service or Other Interstate Instrumentality for Promoting
Animal Fighting Venture- It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly use
the mail service of the United States Postal Service or any instrumentality of
interstate commerce for commercial speech promoting an animal fighting venture
except as performed outside the limits of the States of the United States.

`(d) Violation of State Law- Notwithstanding subsection (c), the activities
prohibited by such subsection shall be unlawful with respect to fighting
ventures involving live birds only if the fight is to take place in a State
where it would be in violation of the laws thereof.

`(e) Sharp Instruments- It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly sell,
buy, transport, or deliver in interstate or foreign commerce a knife, a gaff,
or any other sharp instrument attached, or designed or intended to be
attached, to the leg of a bird for use in an animal fighting venture.

`(f) Penalties- Any person who violates subsection (a), (b), (c), or (e) shall
be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both,
for each such violation.

`(g) Definitions- For purposes of this section--

`(1) the term `animal fighting venture' means any event which involves a fight
between at least two animals and is conducted for purposes of sport, wagering,
or entertainment except that the term `animal fighting venture' shall not be
deemed to include any activity the primary purpose of which involves the use
of one or more animals in hunting another animal or animals, such as
waterfowl, bird, raccoon, or fox hunting;

`(2) the term `instrumentality of interstate commerce' means any written,
wire, radio, television or other form of communication in, or using a facility
of, interstate commerce;

`(3) the term `State' means any State of the United States, the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or possession of
the United States; and

`(4) the term `animal' means any live bird, or any live dog or other mammal,
except man.

`(h) Conflict With State Law- The provisions of this section do not supersede
or otherwise invalidate any such State, local, or municipal legislation or
ordinance relating to animal fighting ventures except in case of a direct and
irreconcilable conflict between any requirements thereunder and this section
or any rule, regulation, or standard hereunder.'.

(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of contents for chapter 3 of title 18,
United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section
38 the following:

Thank you Sheriff Tony DeMeo for explaining this.
That's what I love about living in a small town. He's not just a Sheriff..... he's a neighbor, a fellow citizen, and most of all he listens and knows the counties needs.

[edit on 7/20/2004 by MountainStar]

Large snakes should not be kept as pets. They are potentially dangerous

Obviously words coming from someone who has never dealt with large snakes and has had thier opinions clouded by the two incidents that happen a year. Large snakes are just that they are large and therfore they have a large body mass to move and thus move slowly, much more so then little snakes. The only danger in large snakes is mishandling them or teaching them poor eating habits at a young age such as holding a rat by the tail and dangling it in front of the snake , the snake then asscosiates your hand with food ( bad idea ) Large snakes when they fall can easily break ribs just from a 3 foot fall as a result of this they hold on tight when they are being held , so if you are wrapping a snake around your neck to show it off dont be surprised if it strangles you to prevent its own demise. As for being potentialy dangerous all animals are and your common household dog is one of the number one potential dangers, they are quick and agile and have very sharp teeth where in a large snake is slow and has small teeth , so dont give me the potentialy dangerous crap. I personally do not currently own any large snakes however i have in the past and i have dealt with just about every reptilian in the animal trade and the only potentiayl dangerous scenarios result in mis handling these animals.

Thus, rats, kittens, nor rabbits should be fed to these snakes. I think whoever did this was pretty sick. Feeding a kitten?

It doesnt take a very large snake to eat a kitten , most new born kitten are actually quite small in comparision to an adult rat. And why should they not be fed ? people eat rabbits hell for that matter people eat rats and cats.

I love my rats. They are extremely affectionate and intelligent. I get so tired of hearing the lame excuse of, "but that's nature" bull crap! It's nature in the wild, sure! It's survival of the fittest, the way it should be. It IS NOT nature when you put something in a cage for food that has no chance of escape! I don't think snakes should be kept as pets.

When you keep an animal that has specific eating habits you must conform to them and as such you feed them as they would be fed in nature thus it being natural. Granted a rat in an aquarium has little chance of survival but i have seen it done by a few inteligent rats. There have been several high dollar snakes that have been killed by rats during the whole feeding process thats why most people feed pre killed any more. As for your statement " i dont think snakes should be kept as pets" well personally i dont think rats should be kept as pets , as one person above mentioned they are vermin so therefore you have chosen to surround yourself with disease spreading vermin. ( please note this again is what is called an opinion)

As for the guy who fed the kitten to the snake i personally wouldnt do it but really whats the big deal? Every day cats and kittens are routinly killed by the animal shelter becuase they have no home. Addtionally you will find abondoned cats in droves in all citys across the US that are sick and undernuroushed. So why not feed an unwanted un needed kitten to an animal , at least that way the kitten served a purpose in its life.

Society has molded opinions so that unless an animal is cute and cuddly then do whatever you want with it. Its legal for me to set out a rat trp to crush a rats skull or to poison the rat , hell for that matter i can beat it in the head with a broom then throw it on the grill and no one will fine me. However next to my place of buisness there are at least 25 stray cats that are all sickly and do nothing but breed and create more sickly cats. These cats also destroy peoples property by scratching paint jobs, sharpening thier claws on various objects, they have scratched a few innocent people up, and they have even gotten into peoples cars and eaten food they have found. Now if i where to make a mouse trap large enough for a cat and place a can of tuna on it i would make national news but yet i do the same thing with another animal and its all fine and dandy? Truth of the matter is in general people have the mentality that if its cute and cuddly then save it if not bash it in the head.

And why should they not be fed ? people eat rabbits hell for that matter people eat rats and cats.

really whats the big deal?

If it actually requires someone to come into this thread and explain to you "what's the big deal" it would be beyond you no matter what! I for one, won't waste my time to even try, it's pointless....you will never understand...you just don't have the heart to. I don't think I will be corresponding with you any longer.

If it actually requires someone to come into this thread and explain to you "what's the big deal" it would be beyond you no matter what! I for one, won't waste my time to even try, it's pointless....you will never understand...you just don't have the heart to. I don't think I will be corresponding with you any longer.

Again what you say is called an opinion as is what i say, however your statments make me no more wrong then my statements make you wrong. Its called a dissagreement however in this case you are unable to provide one actua credible arguement to your defense that does not incur opinion i on the other hand have the ability to bring fact to my side such as people eating these animals , therfore since you are unable to provide any credible reasoning for your side of the arguement you decide its better to questin my inteligence , this is what is called being childish.

Ok I love my dog and my cat. I am very against animal abuse. I'm completly against the cruel testing that companies do. There was a company making helmets for something they strapped it to a monkey and then they shot the monkey in the head.. Its an outrage I tell you. I think it should be a felony. What do animals do to deserve this.