Pet lovers seek justice

By April Lawerence

Marguerite Crouse and her dog Breeze support the protest for harsher animal cruelty penalties at the courthouse in Napanee on November 15, 2012. Photo By: April Lawerence

Protestors gathered peacefully outside the courthouse in Napanee last week to demand harsher penalties for animal cruelty crimes.

They gathered at the courthouse because two 19 year-old men were on trial for drowning a dog last April at a quarry off Kimmett Side Road in Napanee.  Travis Haaksman and Carl Wood have both been found guilty.

Vicky Deodato gathered over 1,000 signatures on a paper petition and over 8,000 on an online petition to ask that stiffer penalties be dealt in animal cruelty cases. The paper petition circulated around Kingston, Napanee and Belleville. Deodato started the petition and gathering supporters for the protest when she first heard about the case.

“I hope as an outcome there will be stricter penalties against animal abuse, there has to be,” said Deodato. “There’s a direct correlation between animal abuse and domestic abuse, especially violence against women and children.”

She said she doesn’t necessarily think jail time is the answer but that in a perfect world they would receive counseling and a lot community service, to get them help and that they shouldn’t be allowed to have an animal ever again..

“Animals are their own beings and should be protected just like children,” said Deodato.

Leeanne Hinch has been an animal rights activist since she was five-years-old. She said laws need to be changed to protect the voiceless.

“The laws need to change and they need to change now,” said Hinch. “Too many innocent are suffering, too many innocent are dying.”

Supporters honked and some even called out their windows or pulled over to talk to protestors to show their support.

Sentencing for the trial has been scheduled for January 29. Deodato and the other protestors are planning to be at the sentencing. She said she wants more people to show up to the sentencing to demand that they receive the harshest penalty.

Deodato said she is also considering bringing to attention the issue of animals being sold and given away on the internet. She said people don’t do as much screening of who they are giving the animals to when they are selling online. And when cases like this occur after an animal has been bought online she said the person that sold the animal should be as equally accountable as the buyer.

She encourages people not to use internet resources to sell their animals.