Willa Bagwell, executive director at Animal Friends of the Valleys in Lake Elsinore, wrote to me a few weeks ago about the outcome of an animal cruelty case in Temecula and she was upset.
It seems Steven Waterbury had a grudge with his neighbors over their dogs. According to Bagwell, after months of wrangling with neighbors, Waterbury stabbed the dogs and put large shards of glass in the fence that further injured them.
Waterbury was arrested by animal control and charged with animal cruelty. Fortunately the dogs recovered from their injuries.
Bagwell's disappointment was based on the fact that Waterbury was able to plead the animal cruelty charges down to disturbing the peace.
"Unfortunately this is not unusual in animal abuse cases," she said, "It is heartbreaking for both the animals and for those animal control officers that serve to protect the animals."
Perhaps things might improve with the formation of the California legislature's Animal Protection Caucus headed by Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, Assemblymembers Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, and Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara. The California caucus is patterned after the successful Congressional Animal Protection Caucus according to the Humane Society of the U.S. who also lauded the caucus formation.
Unfortunately there are no Riverside or San Bernardino county legislators serving on the caucus. In fact, according to political action committee PAWPAC, Inland Empire legislators have received poor grades when voting for animal issues. The group, formed in 1980 to monitor and advocate for better laws to protect animals from abuse, exploitation and neglect, rates each legislator on their voting record for animal legislation.
Download the ratings here PawPac2010VotingChart.pdf"
For the most part our local legislators have not rated high with some rated D or F, according to PAWPAC. Check your local assemblyman or senators rating by downloading a copy of PAWPAC's rating from www.inlandsocal.com/pets. Read more about the PAWPAC on its Web site www.pawpac.org.
RUSTY TO THE RESCUE
Remember Rusty the little dog abandoned at the San Bernardino County School District in December? Although he isn't well enough yet for surgery to repair his broken leg he's doing well.
He recently earned the title of hero when he alerted owner Kim S. McJimsey of Hesperia that her 80-year-old mother had fallen at 3:00 a.m. She heard a noise and listened again but Rusty jumped up off of his doggy bed and ran toward the door barking and whining. It was Rusty that told her something was wrong. When she opened the door Rusty immediately ran to her mother and sat next to her crying.
"For such a little guy, he has the heart of a lion," said McJimsey.