Post by wyomama on Oct 9, 2014 10:29:41 GMT -5
Ok, on the "simple neglect" issue, here is something to think about.
I was a sled dog trainer/breeder for over 20 years. The majority of mushers tether their animals, it is just the way it works. And believe it or not, tethering them allows a lot more exercise than having them in a pen. And no, I won't get into any ridiculous arguments about how chaining a dog leads to aggression etc...
Another thing mushers do is leave their dogs out during the winter, and yes, that includes COLD weather, believe it or not. They are cared for, and are provided some type of warm bedding material. They are made for the cold, and I don't give a crap about the stupid things the humane society puts out, like "if you're cold when you go outside, so is your dog".
Mushers also do not leave water in front of their dogs 24/7 in the winter. It is impossible, period. They will water them 2x p/day with baited water, and will offer water after training/working their dogs. Other than that, no water.
There has been a HUGE outcry over this by animal rights activist, and they are constantly trying to create/change laws to support their agenda. These are the same people who also do not want anyone to farm, don't kid yourself. They are looking for that crack in the door, and once they are able to get their fingers in there, they WILL pull that door open.
So yeah, I can see problems here.
My only point is that is not what *this* article is about. The article in the OP is about how offenses to laws that ALREADY EXIST will be counted - and not all of them at that, just the "top-tier" (ie: reportable, flagged) felonies. And I think a more accurate and properly classified count is a good thing - from both sides of the equation.
For purposes of analogy, as someone involved with running a non-profit public venue, I find it incredibly frustrating that the sex offender registry doesn't differentiate between the man convicted for molesting his daughter from the time she was 11 until she ran away at 16 and the 50ish year old dude who was charged with statutory rape the day after he turned 18 by his now father-in-law of 30-plus years.
IMO, if the FBI is putting a musher in the database for felony neglect (and they aren't truly a bad apple with multiple previous misdemeanor counts and a bunch of starving and dead dogs and dogs with serious frostbite injuries) the problem isn't with the database, the problem is with the laws that said musher was convicted under.