Davy, The Conclusion

A heartfelt thank you goes out to each and every one of you who have read about Davy the last several days and left your comments. It is as hard for me to relive it and tell it as it is for you to read about. Although you may believe I did a lot of work, there are still so many instances of animal abuse in this country and in Texas. No, I don't like to hear about them, and I was pretty much done with the cat mutilation research and efforts by October 2000.

Also, I want to make it clear that the 2 suspects in these cat mutilations were not from under-priviledged, or even single parent homes. Both of them lived in more expensive homes than mine, and one lived in an exclusive part of our city where estates dot the land. And not for one minute did anyone in the courtroom buy into their "wiccan", vegetarian tales. The case was dismissed on a technicality, as are so many animal abuse cases nationwide.

In February 2001 an aide from Texas State Rep. Manny Najera's office, D-El Paso, contacted me and requested my help with collecting petitions for HB 653. That bill would change the then current animal cruelty statute from a Class A Misdemeanor to a Felony. He also asked for copies of all my information that I had collected regarding the cat mutilations in my city and neighboring North Texas areas.

Meet Loco, a puppy from East Dallas who was stolen from his front porch in February 2001 and found his way back 4 days later with his eyes gouged out. He became the "poster child" for HB 653 and SB 1724 in the 2001 Texas Legislative Session. His owner contacted me requesting help with SB 1724. He was working with Texas State Sen. David Cain, D-Dallas, on that bill which would also increase the penalty for animal cruelty to a felony.

Loco campaigned heavily for these bills. He travelled to schools to teach children about animal cruelty, he visited the capital many times, he was interviewed extensively during the legislative session appearing in the paper and on TV.

I placed petitions at numerous vet offices throughout my city and a few neighboring areas, and collected over 800 signatures that I sent into Rep. Najera's office. Statewide I believe about 34,000 signatures were collected for these bills.

Working with Rep. Najera's aide, I then found out how I could testify to the Texas House of Representatives Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence which would be the first committee to hear the bill and its supporting testimony.

I acquired the crime scene photos of Davy and blew those up to 8 x 10 for my testimony and prepared a speech.

I knew nothing about the day-to-day workings of a legislative session. The bills kept getting delayed. I was sent action alerts weekly to phone or write letters to members of the house or senate to support these bills.

Finally, we were told the week had arrived to hear the bill and it could be any day. Then the next week arrived. It was pretty much set in stone that the bill would be heard on Tuesday, April 24. So I drove down to Austin to arrive before 2:00pm for the committee. Loco and his owner were there to testify as well. The daily session adjourned around 5:00pm and the Committee began its hearings. I think I testified around 8:00pm.

Sen. Cain's aides then asked if I would testify the next day at the Texas Senate Committee on Criminal Justice. I hadn't brought anything with me other than my paperwork, but I found a motel and stayed the night and began the process again the next day. The Senate Committee was more heavily attended and more reporters were there. My testimony was taped and parts of it were broadcast statewide. I was asked more questions at this testimony.

SB 1724 died in committee, but HB 653 was amended and passed to the floor for a vote. Thus began another series of alerts to call and write representatives and senators. The floor finally passed HB 653 and it was officially signed into law on September 1, 2001 by Gov. Rick Perry and Loco, who put his paw stamp on it.

Last night I was browsing the Texas Humane Legislative Network (THLN) website to see what they are supporting this legislative session. I was appalled and LITERALLY sickened at the animal cruelty cases that have gone unpunished because of loopholes in Loco's Law. A stray is not considered "owned" therefore it can be tortured. Charges can't be filed when someone injures or seriously injures their own pet under the current law. It is not against the law to torture a wild animal that is not previously "captured", so one can torture it as long as they didn't capture it by some means. It is not against the law to kill one's own animal by any means including torture. It is difficult under the current law to define when abuse becomes "torture" because the law does not specifically define what constitutes torture. Livestock are exempt from the torture statute.

Laws aren't perfectly written the first time out. If you live in Texas, please go to the THLN website and print out the petition and start collecting signatures. Please support THLN if you live here.

If you live in a southern state or a ranching state, know that your laws are likely as open as Texas' laws. The good ol' boy network has difficulty in assigning animal status to livestock and wildlife.

You can help nationwide by supporting the Animal Legal Defense Fund. The THLN website also has a list of resource links that all support anti-cruelty laws. Check it out and find out how you can help.

Please help those who can't speak for themselves. It's hard to know about these crimes, but if you don't act, who will?

I think I was meant to write about our "cage" and tell all of you about Davy so that I would find that I am once again called upon to help with the 2007 Texas Legislative Session.

Luf, Maw