No I do not think this was a tough enough punishment. He should have gotten jail time. Animal cruelty even if it is neglect is a serious crime in my opinion, I am sick of prosecutors willing to cut deals and judges not willing to crack down. It takes such little effort to put kibble in a bowl, or even to put your dog up for adoption, if you cannot handle even that basic responsibility that comes with pet ownership...HE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN JAIL TIME!!!
I am so sick of the absolutly hubristic attitude courts, judges, and other people exhibit when dealing with animal cases. It is an outrage to me that people like this get such light sentences, and why is this? Because people tell themselves since animals are less intelligent than humans they should not have legal rights. That is just stupid in my opinion. In fact no one would question the rights of human babies or severelly mentally challenged adults, and many animals have far higher intelligence then they. Dogs can without a doubt experience pain and they care about their lives and the lives of their loved ones, they deserve to be treated compassionately and not have to live in fear of torture or death or people treating them however they please, causing their death and getting a slap on the wrist. It is really irrelevant that animals do not posses the same intelligence as humans or communicate in different ways, or that they are kept as our pets. In their capacity to suffer and feel pain animals are our equals and people who torture them by withholding food should get sentences more commenserate with their crimes!!! |