String of Animal Abuse Cases Prompts Reward in Sacramento after Dog is Burned Alive
California's Sacramento County has been plagued by a series of egregious animal abuse cases in the past month, culminating in the offer of an $8,000 reward to find the person responsible for the latest offense. The SacBee reports that a dog was placed in a pet travel crate and set ablaze this past Wednesday. The case, though particularly disheartening, is just one of many cases of abuse reported in Sacramento County this past month.
Though only 4 incidents have hit news reports since December 26th, according to a representative from Sacramento’s Front Street Animal Shelter, there are also additional cases that “have not hit the news that are just disgusting.” These crimes have local authorities concerned, with authorities stating that these types of offenses point to an extremely disturbed individual that may act criminally against another human and that is likely to harm or kill more animals.
Defense in High Profile Cat Kicking Case Turns Down Plea Deal
Our last recap reported an update in the New York court case of the young man caught on video kicking a cat. The judge had dropped the most serious charge involved in the case, animal torture and injury, replacing it with a lesser charge for attempted animal torture and injury. Though the judge left open the possibility of reinstating full charges and this lesser charge carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail, Robinson refused a plea bargain of staying one month in jail to resolve the case.
According to NY Daily News, Robinson’s defense team maintains his innocence, claiming that he never actually punted the feline. Though the defense also makes a valid point that the physical action taken by Robinson does not necessitate intent to torture or injure the cat, they were also emphatic about changing the verbiage of his actions from “booted” to “jabbed.” In any event, Robinson and those following his case will have to wait for a final verdict as the next hearing for the case is scheduled for next month.
Ormond Beach Passes Law Requiring $100K Insurance for Dangerous Dogs
Ormond Beach, Florida, considers a dog to be dangerous after it has attacked a human once or another domestic animal more than twice. It’s not uncommon for a city to require the owners of dogs deemed to be dangerous to have insurance for said dog, and Ormond Beach already had a requirement of this nature in place; however, the minimum premium of this required insurance has just been steeply increased by the City Commissioners.
MyNews13 reports that the city has recently passed an ordinance to increase the minimum coverage of the required insurance from $1000 to $100,000. The change was made based around the knowledge that the average medical bill of those involved in an attack by a dangerous dog is approximately $40,000. Dog owners that do not comply with this ordinance are ordered to get rid of their dog or leave the community. Dog owners in the community seem to agree that an increase was needed, but there is still question as to whether the increase made was excessive, with at least one citizen calling the increase “outrageous.”
Cute Overload Combines Furrtographer Faves & ResQte of the Week for Adorable, High-Res Rescue Cats
It’s well-known that everyone loves pictures of cats. Whether or not you’re a “cat-person&rdqup;, photos of felines can turn a bad day into a good one. So we would like to point out the good work done by the people of Cute Overload, who have shared two of their best photographs with the world in a post that is sure to warm your heart.
The post features the stories and photos of two adorable rescue cats: Ferdinand and Tortie. The post gives an excellent picture of their personalities as well as two excellent actual pictures. Cute Overload regularly updates with precious pictures and video of pets from around the web. If you ever need a pick-me-up, we highly encourage you to give their blog a visit!
Did we miss anything this week that you thought was a big deal? Let us know what you think of this weekly recap in the comments section below! And if you missed our last weekly recap- you can check it out here.