Having a leash is one of the most responsible things one can do when protecting their dogs from peril. It’s important to always have the upper hand in case their attention decides to snap. It’s also a great way to condition your dog and train them to be obedient.
But some owners take it to a different extreme. In a September edition of Oklahoma’s News 4, a stranded black pitbull was found with a massive chain padlocked around his neck. The poor doggo looked visibly in pain from the hunky piece of metal weighing on his neck.
A man by the name of Robert Riojas discovered the dog outside of his front porch after hearing his alarm go off.
“My buzzing alarm went off and I was like, ‘What the heck is going on’ you know?” said Riojas.
The video surveillance from his front porch showed the curious black pitbull wandering on his front lawn. Riojas lured him in using dog treats and immediately noticed something was not right.
“I don’t see how anyone could be that cruel” mentioned Riojas. “It was so aggressively tied that it was digging into her skin.”
The padlock was estimated to weigh about 30 lbs!
It was so heavy that it actually tore through some of the dogs’ fur coat in the process. What’s even more incredible is that there is no law or statute that says this is an illegal act in the state of Oklahoma!
The kind-hearted pitbull was taken to a nearby animal welfare location. She was treated by veterinarians who made sure to give special attention to this poor soul. It seems her spirit couldn’t be shackled no matter the cost. She wasn’t shy to give kisses and licks to everyone around her.
Riojas made the decision to escalate the issue and partner up with lawmakers to fight this injustice.
Mickey Dollens, a rep from Oklahoma City, has backed up the claims of animal mistreatment as evident in this case, however, Oklahoma legislature seems to disregard the treatment as such.
“I was very surprised and alarmed to find how few laws there are. There’s no law in the books that say you can chain a dog up without a collar or proper tether and that’s something that we want to address.” Dollens said of the matter. “It’s just no way to treat a pet.”
The mistreatment of animal is an issue that has plagued many locations throughout the nation. It has been an ongoing issue amongst lawmakers at the state level.
Some state laws invoke felony charges on a perpetrator if they’ve had previous animal cruelty convictions. According to the humane society, 46 of 50 states felony provisions are first offense provisions.
Additionally, four states have laws that apply for any charges only to subsequent offenses (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, and Mississippi) one thing to note is that a majority of anti-cruelty laws are limited to cases involving aggravated cruelty torture or cruelty to companion animals.
Needless to say, change has to take place in order to fight against these animal injustices.
On January 1st 2016, The FBI implemented a category in its uniform crime report which considers animal cruelty as a nationwide crime under homicide investigation.
The category involves data collected to cover four categories: simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse, and animal sexual abuse.
“I challenge people in the district or in Oklahoma City or even surrounding areas: If you’re able to love and nurture an animal, go out there.” Riojas commented.
These incidents of animal cruelty should never go overlooked. It’s up to us and our voices to help these poor animals overcome their tragedies and provide them with a pain-free life.
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