Alison Henry, 40th Anniversary of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Sonia Elsie and The Veggie Pilot, Tommie's Law, Animal Cruelty a Felony in Virginia!, #SaveGazaAnimals postponed, K-9 Mattie Save The Date, Five bears safe, tiger trade, mother and her three kittens dead & Dogfighting is for idiots!

PROTEST INFO:
DATE: Wednesday, May 1, 2019
LOCATION: Midtown Manhattan (Exact Location TBA)
TIME: To Be Announced 

Please stay tuned for further details and mark your calendars. Please email Matties mom at: deirdre_fennessy@yahoo.com to confirm your attendance or if you have any questions. 

We are looking forward to seeing many of you there! Thank you all for your continued support.

#SaveTheDateK9Mattie
#MattiesArmy
#Savek9Mattie
#GlenKuceraAbusesDogsForProfit

Governor signs 'Tommie's Law,' making animal cruelty a felony in Virginia
Image result for Tommie's Law animal cruelty a felony in Virginia
People convicted of abusing animals in Virginia are about to face much harsher punishment.
Image result for Tommie's Law,' making animal cruelty a felony in Virginia
On Monday, Governor Ralph Northam signed "Tommie's Law," effectively making animal cruelty a Class 6 felony in the commonwealth.

Under current law, animal abusers can only e charged with a misdemeanor unless the animal dies. Now, the penalty for "cruelly or unnecessarily beating, maiming, mutilating, or killing a dog or cat" includes up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.

The bill, already working its way through the General Assembly, was named in honor of a pit bull found chained to a post and set on fire in Richmond. Rescuers named the dog Tommie before he died of his injuries.

Senate Bill 1604 passed unanimously.

The law only applies to dogs and cats, and goes into effect July 1.

Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA Executive Director Angie Gunter says it's about time.

"Often times, an animal survives as a result of abuse by a perpetrator and they don't receive a felony because the animal lived," she said. "This changes that dynamic. Now they can be charged with a felony even if that animal lives, so this is a big help for animals everywhere in Virginia."

Dan Chevez, operations coordinator for Anicira in Harrisonburg, agreed.

"This is absolutely a felony," Chevez said. "This leads to more drastic cases, not just against animals, but against people as well."

A similar bill, known as the Preventing Animal Cruel and Torture (PACT) Act, has also been introduced in Congress to make animal cruelty a felony on a federal level.


Last year, we discovered truly shocking conditions at the municipal dog shelter in the town of Ulcinj in Montenegro.
Full Story: https://networkforanimals.org/newslet... and help out here. The town provided dog food only intermittently, workers said they had not been paid for months and when we asked about medical care, the manager shrugged and said a vet came “sometimes.” If dogs were sick, he killed them. When we talked to town officials, they asked us to be patient because the man responsible had left. We received promises that the dreadful situation would be resolved when a new person was appointed.
The Lesniak Institute for American Leadership will be hosting a conversation about endangered animals and book signing of Don't Let Them Disappear with the author herself, Chelsea Clinton.

Date: April 4, 2019
Location: Wilkins Theatre at Kean University
Time: 6 p.m. - END


Order your first ticket at $25 and receive (1) copy of “Don’t Let Them Disappear.” Increase your order to bring additional guests at a price of $10 per ticket.


ATTENTION: College and high school students may receive discounted tickets with a valid student ID for just $5. Join us for a thoughtful conversation with Chelsea Clinton on endangered animals.

All student discounted tickets MUST be purchased at the Kean University box office during regular box office hours (Wilkins Theatre).
To learn more about the event, visit: https://www.kean.edu/chelsea-clinton

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Since 1979, we’ve been fighting animal cruelty and injustice — and this is the perfect time to revitalize our efforts to spread awareness about animal cruelty, to stop animal abuse, and to ensure abusers are held accountable for their crimes.
I’ve reached out to you in the past about the story of Bella, an 11-year-old shepherd mix living in New York who was beaten so severely by her owner that she had to be euthanized. Her killer was sentenced to just four months in county jail for his crime. Only 4 months … that’s a weak punishment for his heinous crime. Bella’s life was precious and she deserved better.
Unfortunately, sentences like these are all too common — not just in New York, but across the country. The vast majority of animals are protected by a patchwork of state and local laws, many of which provide weak punishments for animal abuse — or none at all. The Animal Legal Defense Fund is fighting to change that, state-by-state, but we need your help.

Strong penalties for animal abusers don’t just protect animals — they also protect people. Studies have shown that animal abusers are five times more likely to harm people — there is a high correlation between domestic violence and animal abuse, as well as child abuse and animal abuse.
If you agree that animal abuse should be taken seriously and abusers should be held accountable, please sign our Stop Animal Cruelty Pledge today. I want to show the world that our supporters are united in demanding stronger punishments for abuse and neglect. I’m counting on you to stand with us.
Instead of Relocating Them, These Cougar Kittens Are Now Dead

A mother and her three kittens. Those are just some of the casualties of urban sprawl in Colorado. 

Since the beginning of the year, Glenwood Springs residents had noticed they weren't alone in their neck of the woods. Over the past several weeks they had seen a family of mountain lions lurking about, and after one neighborhood dog was killed people began to worry. 


That's when they decided to call (CPW). Perhaps residents thought CPW officials would be able to scare the cougars back to the mountains or relocate them to a more remote area where they wouldn't pose a threat. Unfortunately, officials had another solution in mind. They trapped the mother and her one-year-old kittens and killed them. 


Parks and Wildlife defended their action by saying it was their "only option." But that simply isn't the case. Colorado is a vast, mountainous state with wide swaths of unpopulated lands where these mountain lions could have been released to live a long and wild life. Instead, officials decided to take the lives of five pumas — a mother, her three cubs, and another adult. 


The land these animals were roaming is theirs not ours and they should not be punished simply for being the predators that nature intended them to be. 


Obviously, we must take the safety of Glenwood Springs residents into account but euthanization should have never been an option when they could have easily been relocated. Especially since their location could have been monitored with collars. 


It's too late for the five mountain lions that were killed by CPW but hopefully, it won't be for the next family of pumas that encroach into a Colorado town. Please sign the petition and demand that Colorado Parks and Wildlife stop using lethal methods to deal with animal nuisances and ask them to use relocation instead.


Happy TailFranny’s Good Fortune: How One Dogfighting Victim Found Just Where She Belonged

Franny was one of 155 dogfighting victims rescued from a North Carolina dogfighting ring. Though her beginnings were tragic, Franny underwent an incredible transformation and soon found a place she could call home. See her inspiring journey today.

No One Wins in a Dogfight

It's hard to imagine the life of a dog forced to fight—the heavy chains around their necks, the countless days of neglect spent on those chains, the brutal training in the weeks before a fight, and then a violent, horrific battle, often to the death.


The ASPCA will never stop fighting to end this vicious crime. We will never turn away from abused animals who need us. Please help us break the chain of violence endured by so many animals, and rescue, heal and find homes for suffering animals across the country.

We need your help to prevent cruelty, rehabilitate animals who are hurting and hold animal abusers accountable for their crimes. From the day of a dogfighting raid up to the day justice is served, animal victims are considered evidence and can spend months in our care until the case is closed and these animals can be adopted into new homes.

One dogfighting victim named Kermit was held for 384 days while his court case dragged on. Another dog, Bam, spent 356 days waiting for his chance at adoption. And a victim named Iso waited 271 days for a real home.

In this time, we provide food, shelter and rehabilitation to ensure dogs like these have love and the very best care. All our work takes support from friends like you.

With your help, you are fighting on the side of helpless animals who have no one to fight for them. Please give hope to a desperate animal today.
In Defense of Animals
Stop the Bloody Slaughter of Yellowstone Bison! Terrified bison have been trapped in pens and mercilessly butchered. More of our national mammals face the ax. Act now to stop the Yellowstone massacre! TAKE ACTION
In Defense of Animals
Canada Goose: Ditch Fur and Down to Meet Consumer Demands! Geese and coyotes suffer in agony for Canada Goose jackets. While compassionate consumers increase demand for animal-friendly products, cruel Canada Goose clings to animal abuse in the name of profit and trivial fashion statements. Please urge Canada Goose to ditch animal fur and goose down to save countless animals from senseless pain and death! TAKE ACTION
In Defense of Animals
Victory! Dangerous Rule Revoked to Save Wild Horses & Burros! Last summer, we alerted you to the shocking new rule which opened the door wide open for opportunistic horse slaughter buyers. Implemented by the Bureau of Land Management under a cloak of secrecy, Instructional Memorandum 2018-066 essentially allowed the sale of up to 24 horses per day per buyer, for as many days as requested, for just $25 each. With your help, we put a stop to it! READ MORE
Don Lichterman
Sunset Corporation of America (SCA)
Sustainable Action Network (SAN)