Tag: Animals

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Proposed Bipartisan House Bill Cracks Down on Animal Cruelty

Rep. Steve Cohen

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn, helped introduce a bipartisan bill that would create an Animal Cruelty Crimes section within the U.S. Department of Justice.

The introduction of the bill, which has been sent to the House Judiciary Committee, comes after a successful bipartisan effort to use $1 million from the Legal Activities account to enforce animal welfare laws throughout the country.

Support for the bill was also raised after a series of cockfighting investigations in Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky exposed massive illegal enterprises involved in the global shipping of animals for fighting purposes.

“I’m proud to support the Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act. Intentionally inflicting harm to defenseless animals, including through competitive dogfighting and other inhumane practices, has no place in civilized society,” said Rep. Cohen. “Enforcement of measures already on the books is critical to ending these barbaric practices, which is what this measure aims to do.”

The proposed section of the DOJ would focus on the enforcement of animal welfare acts that were introduced and strengthened under the Trump administration as well as enforcing previously enacted animal welfare criminal statutes.

The bill comes after two years of work between Congress and the president in which the legal framework relating to animal abuse was strengthened. Specifically, the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement, and Pet and Women Safety Act were modernized and given more defined guidelines which allowed law enforcement agencies to act in more situations.

The dedicated Animal Cruelty Crimes section at the DOJ would allow for a more focused lens to be shined on animal abuse and give more resources to organizations working to fight animal abuse. The DOJ already has similar dedicated sections on other important national concerns, such as environmental protection, wildlife, and organized crime.

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News The Fly-By

All Hamsters Go to Heaven

Perry Sparks, a local car wholesaler and self-professed “dog person,” hasn’t had many small pets. Maybe a few goldfish. But his young nephew is a devoted caregiver of all sorts of small animals: hamsters, spiders, snakes, gerbils, even hermit crabs.

“I asked my sister-in-law what she did when his pets died. She said they put them in plastic bags, shoeboxes, or Tupperware bowls and buried them in the backyard,” says Sparks, a man with graying hair and large deep eyes.

Sparks began searching for a small animal casket, both online and in local pet stores. Though he found plenty of dog and cat coffins, he couldn’t find anything small enough to provide a mouse with a proper burial.

“I went to a hobby store and found a little box to use as the prototype. I painted it and lined it with felt,” Sparks says. “When I got through, I had a piece of felt left over, so I folded it up and made a little pillow.”

Sparks’ wife Cheryl says, “He put that pillow in, and my daughter and I were like, ‘Oh, that is the cutest thing we’ve ever seen.'”

After receiving his family’s approval of the prototype, Sparks created four different sizes, the largest of which can accommodate a rabbit.

At Little John’s Animall in Cordova, Sparks’ Heaven’s Pets kits are displayed near the live mice. Sparks’ first customer bought one for her hamster.

“A lady came in and noticed the display, and then a week later, her hamster died. She remembered seeing the burial kits, and she came back and bought one,” Sparks says, a proud grin spreading across his face.

For now, he creates each box by hand. The product is protected under pre-patent laws, and if it sells well, Sparks plans to have it manufactured and sold across the country.

“When we start manufacturing them, we will continue to use biodegradable products,” Sparks says. “We want this to be Earth-friendly. If you’re going to be putting this into the ground, you don’t want it to sit there like plastic.”

Sparks also wants to keep the kits affordable. Currently, the boxes range from $4.99 to $9.99 depending on size. Some larger animal caskets can cost up to $200.

“Moms would probably spend the extra money,” Sparks says. “But dads are going to say, ‘We only spent $2 on that hamster. I’m not going to spend $50 on a burial kit.'”

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News

Memphis Animal Coalition Meeting Sunday

An animal advocacy coalition formed to address concerns about the Memphis Animal Shelter’s high rate of euthanasia will meet at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 30th at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library.

The group, which previously called itself Change Our Shelter, has decided on a new name — the Memphis Animal Coalition (MAC). It was named for Mac, a dog that was put to sleep by shelter employees despite the fact that rescuer Lisa Trenthem was at the shelter and ready to adopt it. Employees said the dog was sick with allergies and could not be adopted out although Trenthem said she’d take the dog to vet immediately.

Since its formation in October, the group has had several talks with Director of Public Services and Neighborhoods Keenon McCloy about the shelter’s policy on not adopting sick animals, as well the shelter’s sparse hours (it’s only open for adoption 26 hours a week).

As a result, McCloy has announced that the shelter will look into expanding the shelter’s hours and begin implementing a disclaimer/waiver that would allow adoption of dogs and cats with certain medical issues.

For more on the Memphis Animal Coalition, read Bianca Phillips’ story here.

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Letters To The Editor Opinion

Letters to the Editor

Aquarius Revisited

Bianca Phillips’ article about the hippie commune, the Farm (“The Old Age of Aquarius,” November 22nd issue), showed that despite declining numbers of people, the 1960s countercultural ethic is still thriving in Tennessee.

What is more amazing is that many of the 1960s’ revolutionary, radical ideas are now mainstream, including solar energy, soy products, natural childbirth, recycling, spirituality, earth consciousness, and a healthy mistrust of the government’s immense power. All of these are now a part of the fabric of society.

If mainstream society would whole-heartedly embrace the guiding principles of the Farm — love and compassion — in all of its endeavors, then the 1960s cultural upheaval will not have been futile.

Randy Norwood

Memphis

The Shelter

Thanks to the Flyer and Bianca Phillips for highlighting one of the malfunctions associated with our city-run animal-disposal facility, aka the Memphis Animal Shelter (“Sheltered Life,” November 22nd issue).  

Unfortunately, the shelter’s euthanasia policies are just the tip of the iceberg. As a foster-home provider for rescued animals, I have been repeatedly let down by our city’s shelter policies. First, they do not respond to injured or loose animal reports consistently or in a timely manner. Second, animals may be adopted to whoever is willing to pay the small fee, without regard for eligibility. Third, owner-surrendered animals are immediately destroyed. (Shelter spokespeople say they must assume something is wrong with the animal since the owner is relinquishing it, so it is never made available for adoption.)

I realize that the shelter is overrun with animals and lacks resources (including but not limited to leadership and the support of the city government). But the fact that over 1,000 animals are killed per month in that facility is a shameful reflection of our city’s crime, poverty, and low education levels. A high percentage of dogs that are euthanized are bully breeds used for fighting operations. Until tougher penalties for dog fighting are instituted and spay/neuter is encouraged citywide, the Memphis Animal Shelter will continue to serve as a death-trap for thousands of animals each year.  

In the meantime, Memphians have a social and civil responsibility to adopt homeless animals and donate money they might have spent on designer dogs to one of the city’s volunteer-run rescue organizations.   

Jessica Leu
Memphis

The Surge

I believe all Americans want the surge in Iraq to be a success. If it succeeds, Iraq can stand on its own and our brave military men and women can come home. Unfortunately, the more we learn about what the president is planning, the more obvious it is that we are headed toward an open-ended commitment to Iraq. 

President Bush initially failed to deploy enough troops to ensure a victory. Now we learn our tax dollars are going to pay more than 70,000 Sunnis to patrol their neighborhoods. The Iraqi government was supposed to do this, but they fear arming so many who oppose the current government — and who might use the weapons to attack the Shiites who are in charge.  

The invasion has created two hostile opposing forces in Iraq, and we are arming and training both sides! It appears that Bush has not learned the lesson he should have learned from his father. When the first Bush administration armed the Taliban, they created a monster that finally turned on us. It was the Taliban who protected and assisted bin Laden. Now, more than six years after 9/11, that monster is still alive and making propaganda tapes for the world to hear.

After a million Iraqis and thousands of Americans have been killed and maimed in Iraq and after close to a trillion dollars of American treasure has been spent, the real mastermind of 9/11 is still alive and planning more attacks.

The president claims he is spreading democracy. I say he is spreading something else. How does he explain the hundreds of Saudis in Iraq who are terrorists? He has called the Saudi princes friends for years. These same friends are silent when a Saudi woman who was raped is punished with 200 lashes. I fear democracy is far from the minds of those Bush has befriended in our name. Saudi princes and Shiite politicians are only interested in power, not freedom and democracy.     

Jack Bishop

Cordova

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News

Saturday is “Senior Day” at Memphis Humane Society

As if owning a pet wasn’t sweet enough, the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County is going to make pet ownership even sweeter — especially for seniors.

November is Adopt a Senior Dog Month and to mark the occasion, the Humane Society will hold a Pets and Pastries Open House from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, November 10, at its facility at 935 Farm Road in Shelby Farms.

Not only will free pastry items be available, there will be a special price for senior dogs. And for senior humans, it is an opportunity to get a senior dog for free.

Any dog five years or older is considered a “senior.” During November, the adoption fee for a senior dog will be $50.

“We participate in a program called Pets for the Elderly which pays $50 towards adoptions by anyone over 60 years old, so this month, anyone over 60 who adopts a senior dog will get their pet without having to pay an adoption fee,” said Ginger Morgan, president of the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County.

Morgan said even if someone is not interested in adopting a senior dog, Saturday will be an excellent time to visit the organization and sample a free pastry item. The free pastry is actually part of National Animal Shelter Appreciation week which began Sunday and runs through Saturday.

For more info, visit the Memphis Humane Society website.