To the Editor,

I find the examples of animal cruelty and neglect in our state and country to be overwhelming. A recent TV article about a husky found in Warwick in a trash bag was horrifying. He died due to heat exposure from being kept in an enclosed space in high temperatures, and was also emaciated. I listened to that story and thought about what that dog went through while it was dying. I thought about how he felt while he was not adequately fed.

Cruelty exists in many forms and we humans are pretty good at inflicting it. So I just spent a few hours reviewing legislation that has been introduced this year relating to animals and found quite a few that try to address specific aspects of cruelty and neglect. If you do not think we should treat animals, any animal, cruelly, then I recommend you review the complete list of animal related bills in the House and Senate. It is an eye opener to see which of our legislative leaders support some types of cruelty and others who are trying hard to stop it.

For example S2150 allows an extension from 2026 to 2034 before egg laying hens can have the additional space needed in a cage to simply stretch their wings.
On the other hand, there are several good bills that would promote animal welfare and lessen cruelty. They include H7052 and S2007 which would allow declawing of cats for only medical reasons (declawing is not just the nail, it is equivalent to our fingertips); H7454 and S2302 will prohibit the selling of fur products (I encourage you to read about how captive fur bearers are killed and how they live out their short lives strictly for the sake of our vanity); and H7294 which would prohibit captive hunting.

I understand there are some who would defend the practices the above bills are trying to prevent but here is, perhaps the most salient bill which supports the essence of why cruel practices should be stopped. H7639 defines animals as sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, stress and fear. Isn’t this reason enough to stop hurting and killing them?
If you agree, call your legislators and support all who work on the myriad of animal welfare issues.

Barbara Walsh
Warwick