SPCA exec leaves dog in hot car for 4 hours.

[Makelith]

Its the argument when people say "I bet people would be crying for jail time if this was a person" or "Why does it not get the same treatment as a person just because its a dog?"

Obviously not by choice. When i shoot something i'd like to kill it as effectively as possible for what i'm planning on using it for. That isn't always the case though. Anyone who has been hunting has shot something and its gotten away. I can only imagine some of those things suffer much more than this dog has for days at a time before an even worse death.

If people weren't stupid enough to intentionally inflict suffering on animals i'd say all animal cases are a stupid thing to bring to court, but any legitimate accident is even more stupid. Especially if her career is in the business of preventing abuse of animals.

 

[Dani]

If people weren't stupid enough to intentionally inflict suffering on animals i'd say all animal cases are a stupid thing to bring to court, but any legitimate accident is even more stupid. Especially if her career is in the business of preventing abuse of animals.

Just as someone said earlier, if it were you, she'd be fighting to get you to pay. So why shouldn't she? What happened is wrong no matter who does it and who or what it's done to. Sorry you don't feel dogs are as important but many people do and those people feel something must be done. She is in a position to make some kind of good come out of this by taking due blame and attempting to make up for it. Instead it's looking like a do as I say, not as I do sort of thing and she loses credibility.

I ask again, why should she not be held to the same standards that she, and the company she represents, hold others to?

 

[Mirewen]

Killing a deer (for example) is different than killing a dog. Dogs are our pets and are domestic, relying on us. Yes, accidents happen and deer get away, hopefully to be found by a cougar or another animal that might make it's death at least worthwhile.

When I say negligence, I mean that it could have easily been a child if she was so vacant minded. Then again, children sit in rather large car seats and make noise, I don't even know what kind of dog this was. It could be a Yorkie or it could be a Great Dane, it doesn't say in the article. She neglected to be aware of her surroundings, just as her husband neglected to let her know that he put the dog in the car. Depending on the size of the dog, I would say he is more at fault than she is. She probably went out for lunch at noon and saw her dog totally unaware that it was there.

She does probably feel horrible for it, as does her husband more than likely. But she should still have to pay a fine for negligence. Just because you feel bad and it was an accident, shouldn't exempt you from punishment.

Edit:

I ask again, why should she not be held to the same standards that she, and the company she represents, hold others to?

I agree.

 

[Tristam Green]

Holy freaking shit, how else will she be put in a position to where she can get the damn laws changed that give animals more rights than a human?

 

[Makelith]

Just as someone said earlier, if it were you, she'd be fighting to get you to pay. So why shouldn't she? What happened is wrong no matter who does it and who or what it's done to. Sorry you don't feel dogs are as important but many people do and those people feel something must be done. She is in a position to make some kind of good come out of this by taking due blame and attempting to make up for it. Instead it's looking like a do as I say, not as I do sort of thing and she loses credibility.

I ask again, why should she not be held to the same standards that she, and the company she represents, hold others to?

Because i feel i'm above that. People make mistakes. I feel dogs are very important. I just don't feel they are equal as people. If i had to save a baby boy/girl or a baby puppy i would save the baby boy/girl each and every time. Sorry if you feel like i'm satan because i hold a human's life is more valuable to the world than a dog's life. Am i a terrible person for stepping on ants too?

Killing a deer (for example) is different than killing a dog. Dogs are our pets and are domestic, relying on us. Yes, accidents happen and deer get away, hopefully to be found by a cougar or another animal that might make it's death at least worthwhile.

When I say negligence, I mean that it could have easily been a child if she was so vacant minded. Then again, children sit in rather large car seats and make noise, I don't even know what kind of dog this was. It could be a Yorkie or it could be a Great Dane, it doesn't say in the article. She neglected to be aware of her surroundings, just as her husband neglected to let her know that he put the dog in the car. Depending on the size of the dog, I would say he is more at fault than she is. She probably went out for lunch at noon and saw her dog totally unaware that it was there.

She does probably feel horrible for it, as does her husband more than likely. But she should still have to pay a fine for negligence. Just because you feel bad and it was an accident, shouldn't exempt you from punishment.

Hopefully that's the case with what happened, but if it wasn't, its not like i'm gonna lose sleep over it.

Type of dog i couldn't care less about. I find it hard to believe she didn't notice an animal in her back seat that didn't belong.

If it was a person i would agree with you, but this is a dog. It was probably an amazing dog, but it was an accident. Any accident with animals i think is a stupid thing to try in court.

 

[Duddits]

Oh and btw, I put my dog down because it had a stomach condition that I thought was too expensive to correct, but I treated that dog like gold his entire life and loved him dearly. Is that abuse? Is that cruel? If you are someone who thinks it is, fuck you.

This completely blew me away. Obviously you didn't love your dog enough if you had it put down just because you didn't want to pay an expensive vet bill. I'm willing to bet that at least one time in your life, PETA will be camping out in your front yard.

 

[Mirewen]

Type of dog i couldn't care less about. I find it hard to believe she didn't notice an animal in her back seat that didn't belong.

I only mentioned dog type because the examples I gave vary greatly in size. The dog could have been hiding under the seat for all we know.

So you're saying it wasn't an accident but you're still saying that you wouldn't lose sleep over it? Sorry if I find that astounding. You don't care about the suffering of animals?

 

[Dowzer]

After looking up passive/involuntary neglect to animals, specifically leaving them without food, water, shelter and veterinary care is usually handled by SPCA providing information to help educate the owners from further accidents. However, I'm not too sure how a situation like this would be treated, involving the death of the animal as a result.

These laws vary greatly from state to state. I looked up which laws Virginia has and found one that falls under this mishap.

(Agriculture, Horticulture & Food Comprehensive Animal Laws) 3.1-796.68. Care of animals by owner

1984, amend. 1998

Summary: Requires that every owner of a companion animal provide adequate food, water, clean shelter, space (according to age, size, species & weight), exercise, care, treatment, transportation and veterinary care when needed or to prevent suffering or disease transmission. Applies to every animal shelter, pound, rescue agency, dealer, pet shop, exhibitor, kennel, groomer, and boarding facility.

Exceptions: establishments operated under the immediate supervision of a vet in the routine practice of vet medicine animals boarded under the immediate supervision of a vet does not require that animals used as food for other animals be euthanized game & wildlife must be cared for per Game Board regulations

Penalty: Per 18.2-403.3, Class 4 Misdemeanor (18.2-11) maximum $250 fine.

 

[Dani]

Because i feel i'm above that. People make mistakes. I feel dogs are very important. I just don't feel they are equal as people. If i had to save a baby boy/girl or a baby puppy i would save the baby boy/girl each and every time. Sorry if you feel like i'm satan because i hold a human's life is more valuable to the world than a dog's life. Am i a terrible person for stepping on ants too?

You're above holding people to practicing what they preach? How can you hold credibility if you don't back up what you claim to believe in?

I never called you satan or attacked you in any way, do not put words in my mouth. I never said dogs > humans. I said that they should be treated as humanely as humans. If I were in the situation of baby life vs. dog life, I'd take the baby too, but that's not the issue at hand, that's not even close to the issue at hand. This isn't about picking one over the other in a time of imminent danger, it's a matter of not subjecting a living thing to something so torturous.

 

[Mirewen]

Because i feel i'm above that. People make mistakes. I feel dogs are very important. I just don't feel they are equal as people. If i had to save a baby boy/girl or a baby puppy i would save the baby boy/girl each and every time. Sorry if you feel like i'm satan because i hold a human's life is more valuable to the world than a dog's life. Am i a terrible person for stepping on ants too?

Missed this quote.

Like I said, the line gets blurred. No one ever said they would save a dog over a baby, so that comparison doesn't make sense, funny I thought someone would have said that to me but I'm the one saying it. Where is the baby in this case? Was she out rescuing a baby while her dog was suffering in the car for 4 hours? No, she was probably sitting in her air conditioned office taking phone calls and reading emails. Lines vary, you can't use the same example for every case.

 

[Acutie]

This completely blew me away. Obviously you didn't love your dog enough if you had it put down just because you didn't want to pay an expensive vet bill. I'm willing to bet that at least one time in your life, PETA will be camping out in your front yard.

That dog would have died in a dumpster, literally had my family not saved it. Who thanked us for that? We don't owe anything to our pets. I had it and I liked that dog a lot but if you want to tell me I didn't, you can fuck yourself along with every other PETA asshole.

 

[Morcheeba]

This completely blew me away. Obviously you didn't love your dog enough if you had it put down just because you didn't want to pay an expensive vet bill. I'm willing to bet that at least one time in your life, PETA will be camping out in your front yard.

You do realize that treatments often cost 3-4 thousand dollars. And often times there is no guarantee it will cure a condition.

I had to put my dog down because the surgery required would have cost us $4500. Sorry but we couldn't afford it. We couldn't afford to attempt to save my dogs life, but we could afford to make sure he didn't suffer any longer.

BTW, he had epilepsy and the medication that we had to pay for which was a couple hundred dollars a month eventually shut his liver down and begun poisoning him to death. So yes we cared for our dog just as I believe many people who feel that they haven't much choice but to euthanize a loved one feel. There's nothing wrong with choosing to not allow suffering to continue with a pet. That is caring.

 

[Mirewen]

You can't fault people for what they can and cannot afford. No one would take a terminally ill animal. Acutie cannot be held responsible for not being able to pay for an expensive treatment.

 

[Duddits]

You can't fault people for what they can and cannot afford. No one would take a terminally ill animal. Acutie cannot be held responsible for not being able to pay for an expensive treatment.

If you cant afford it then you shouldn't own a pet in the first place.

 

[Morcheeba]

If you cant afford it then you shouldn't own a pet in the first place.

Really.

Many people can afford to give an animal a good home and take care of a lot of ailments but some things are just not feasible.

When a horse breaks its leg most large breed vets will tell you there is no saving it, and that for the most part is true. But if they could perform a surgery that MIGHT better the animal it would cost a couple mortgage payments. There is still no guarantee the animal will heal enough to keep so would that also be a sign of not caring if you choose to just put it down?

I fail to see your logic. If we all followed your pet owner expectations there would be more animals losing out on great long lives and euthanized.

People don't buy animals thinking 'I better save up a couple thousand dollars for this animal in case the unthinkable happens'. No they plan to take care of the animal, give it a good and loving home and yes regular expenses are usually part of the expectations. Not thousands of dollars.

I think you're talking out of your ass and should probably just drop this one.

 

[Mirewen]

If you cant afford it then you shouldn't own a pet in the first place.

Some treatments can cost as much as $10,000.00 depending on the ailment. Just because someone doesn't have that expendable doesn't mean they don't deserve to know the joy of having a pet.

 

[Makelith]

I only mentioned dog type because the examples I gave vary greatly in size. The dog could have been hiding under the seat for all we know.

So you're saying it wasn't an accident but you're still saying that you wouldn't lose sleep over it? Sorry if I find that astounding. You don't care about the suffering of animals?

I'm not saying it wasn't an accident. I said it was hard to believe that she never noticed a dog in a place that it didn't belong. The whole not losing sleep part was over the deer i have shot that i didn't kill on the spot. I care about the suffering of animals, like i said, I cried like a little girl when my dog died. Do you lose sleep when you see all those poor chickens in the KFC farms?

You're above holding people to practicing what they preach? How can you hold credibility if you don't back up what you claim to believe in?

I never called you satan or attacked you in any way, do not put words in my mouth. I never said dogs > humans. I said that they should be treated as humanely as humans. If I were in the situation of baby life vs. dog life, I'd take the baby too, but that's not the issue at hand, that's not even close to the issue at hand. This isn't about picking one over the other in a time of imminent danger, it's a matter of not subjecting a living thing to something so torturous.

I'm not saying that she shouldn't practice what she preaches. I'm saying that she should find a new job because its a waste of our legal system prosecuting people over accidents that happen to animals.

Like I said, the line gets blurred. No one ever said they would save a dog over a baby, so that comparison doesn't make sense, funny I thought someone would have said that to me but I'm the one saying it. Where is the baby in this case? Was she out rescuing a baby while her dog was suffering in the car for 4 hours? No, she was probably sitting in her air conditioned office taking phone calls and reading emails. Lines vary, you can't use the same example for every case.

It was more directed at Dani who seem to think that dogs(or any animal, i guess) deserve the same treatment as humans when i don't feel they do. That was the point i'm trying to make. If i had to choose between a baby human and a baby dog, i'd pick the human every time because i know that some lives are more valuable than others. It was a pretty poor example, but the best i could think of since i was headed to the state fair as i was hitting post.

 

[Kerowynn]

This has nothing to do with the fact that this was an animal rather than a person in my opinion. It has everything to do with the fact that it was an accident, and not even an accident that involved gross negligence. Sometimes very sad things happen, that could happen to anyone. This doesn't mean that everyone should be punished for every unintentional thing that they do. I'm sure that this woman and her husband are both suffering enough after losing their dog this way.

 

[Strid]

Killing a deer (for example) is different than killing a dog. Dogs are our pets and are domestic, relying on us. Yes, accidents happen and deer get away, hopefully to be found by a cougar or another animal that might make it's death at least worthwhile.

It's not different at all, really. If an animals ability to be domesticated and their use has anything to do with their status, as a whole, then you've sprung on quite the predicament. I grew up next to a man that had 3 pet deer. They can be domesticated just like a dog. On the other hand dogs can also be born in the wild, survive for themselves, and be dangerous. The only real difference in the two, well in most American's heads anyway, is we don't eat dogs, at least knowingly. I've had a pet raccoon and rabbit in my lifetime as well. Most any animal can be domesticated and be our pets. Birds and snakes make good examples as well.

However, I think this women should be brought under the same scrutiny she would put another. Anything less is inexcusable even though I'm of the mind-set, "It's just a dog." When you fail to practice what you preach you don't deserve an easy out even if it's an accident. I wonder how many accidents she has called "inhumane" in her "work".

 

[Dowzer]

However, I think this women should be brought under the same scrutiny she would put another. Anything less is inexcusable even though I'm of the mind-set, "It's just a dog." When you fail to practice what you preach you don't deserve an easy out even if it's an accident. I wonder how many accidents she has called "inhumane" in her "work".

/thread

It begs the question, how many other people have suffered from the loss of a pet AND STILL have been punished?

Kerowynn's right on the money. It's about it being an accident. The wild card is it happened to an SPCA Exec. Even if she has all the information on hand, to avoid animal neglect/etc, she should still follow through with what she preached. If the law calls for animal rights groups to educate her, so be it, if they call for a $250 fine, so be it. She should not be exempt because of her title and she should not have that title stripped for a mistake others would be exempt from.

People don't lose their job for this, so of course she shouldn't. If it were gross neglect and cruelty, imagine if her SPCA Exec title was a front and they were harboring dogs for fighting, she would lose her job without question.

In comparison... Police officers being suspended without pay, such as a slap on the wrist for a small error, compared to losing their job and being charged criminally for outrageous acts.