Pssssttt! Hey you. Yeah. You.
Did you know you may be an endangered species if HF 737 passes? The bill is ready for debate at any time in the Senate chamber.
WHAT? No way. Not me. You’re waaaay out there. I take good care of my pets and other animals. You’re just a fear monger. Go back where ever you came from.
Would you be interested in hearing some facts that you aren’t being told?
I don’t need no stinkin’ facts. I’m a good pet owner. HF 737 is for animal abusers that need to be bludgeoned harder for hurting precious fur babies.
Well then, would you at least humor me and listen to some facts?
First off, go to the legislative site and read the bill. For yourself. Read the language with discernment, with your critical thinking cap on.
Let’s begin with the all ensnaring definition of ‘injury’ and ‘serious injury’. Keep in mind at all times that courts will interpret…. as….written. Period.
INJURY pg.2, begin line 33 – means an animal’s disfigurement; the impairment of an animal’s health; impaired functioning of an animal’s limb or organ, including physical damage or harm to an animal’s muscle tissue, organs, bones, hide, or skin.
SERIOUS INJURY pg. 3, begin line 3 – means an injury that constitutes an animal’s protracted or permanent disfigurement, to health, the functioning of limb or organ or loss of limb or organ
Does one understand that could be anything? A better question would be what’s not included? How about a bit closer scrutiny of the pending train wreck?
Under the provision of animal abuse, pg. 3, beginning line 14, Did you know whoopsies, referred to as recklessly, are included with purposed abuse? Hmmm, dog catching its tail in a gate, doing agility sprains an ankle, jumps off the couch breaks a leg, escapes the yard and gets hit by a car, cat got into a catfight, find Johnnie’s pet hamster got a foot caught in the exercise wheel, Susie’s goldfish is belly up.
What?!? You can’t be serious!
All whoopsies. All it takes is the little old nosey neighbor to observe, scurry to their phone and call in a cruelty complaint. Or, SF 2029. Vets can spin any tall yarn they want, under the pretense of “good faith”, and NO, that’s right, NO accountability. Another story, another day.
No allowances as each scenario can be prosecuted under Animal Maltreatment, pg.3, begin lines14. Absolutely crazy isn’t it? That IS how the bill reads.
It is beyond me why a legislator would want to subject their constituents to the gotchas of this bill?
Is this what one wants? To live under someone else’s microscope? Be very, very careful what one wishes for.
Oh, and here are some statistics. Nope. No thin air involved.
The approximate number of pets in Iowa as of 2017/2018 – 4,084,000. Do you know the rate of conviction for animal abuse is ONLY 0.0014% for 2019?
Question. Does that minuscule percentage warrant harsher penalties and the all entrapment language of HF 737? Does it validate the so-called increasing number of animal abuse cases as proclaimed by a certain ideology?
Which should legislation be based upon? Hardcore facts? Or, emotion?
Finding out too late you’ve been hoodwinked is a painful lesson to have to learn the hard way.
Instead of taking that chance, how about just asking your senator for a NO vote on HF 737?
Problem solved.
Betsy Fickel
Garner, IA
