Word: petted
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...goal of the registry, which would list crimes against both pets and farm animals, is to make it easier for shelters and animal-adoption groups to identify people who shouldn't be allowed access to animals. It would also be a boon to law enforcement because animal abuse, the bill's authors' say, often escalates to violence against people. Abuses covered in the bill would include the malicious and intentional maiming, mutilation, torture, wounding or killing of a living animal. It would also target pet hoarders and operators of animal-fighting rings (such as dog-baiting and cockfighting) who have...
...bill's biggest stumbling block may be the funding it would require. Created with the assistance of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the bill would raise the approximately $500,000 to $1 million necessary for its launch through a 2- or 3-cent tax per pound of pet food, says Florez, a Democrat who is chairman of the Food and Agriculture Committee. He estimated that after it's launch, the project could cost between $300,000 to $400,000 a year to maintain. Yet even that relatively small amount has some organizations, including a national pet-product trade group...
...vice president of government affairs for the American Pet Products Association, says the proposal is inherently inequitable."You're looking at pet owners paying for something that's really going to benefit everyone," says Rod. "And animal abuse certainly affects pets, but it also affects agricultural animals as well, and in this case I don't believe there is any provision to impose a fee on livestock feed. The goal we support, certainly, but we think this is kind of a blunt instrument to reach that goal." (See the top 10 animal attacks...
...government is against the proposal because cantons are already required by law to have a special office dealing with animal abuse, which it deems protection enough. Farmers associations and pet breeders are also opposed to the initiative, fearing greater scrutiny of their activities. A group called No to the Useless Animal Lawyers' Initiative has been set up to urge voters to reject the proposal...
...always, it will be left to the voters to decide. According to early polls, it looks likely that pet lovers will prevail - a full 70% supported the initiative in a survey released in November. A victory, proponents would argue, for direct democracy...