Wanton– maliciously or unjustifiably: a wanton attack; wanton cruelty. See Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. Dictionary
Antonym: Gentle, Kind, Nice
Okay, you can tell by the Title of this post that I am agitated. One of my favorite blogs is Florida Animallaw.com. A recent post caught my eye. The title was “Owner jailed after puppy dangled, kicked.” According to an article in the St. Petersburg Times, Article, an arrest report was filed by law enforcement alleging that a “guy” dangled a black puppy by a leash and brutally kicked the pup several times. This went on for about four minutes before a deputy sheriff confronted the “guy” interrupting his cruel act. When arrested for felony animal cruelty, the “guy” reportedly said “It was his dog and he could do whatever he wanted and he did it because the dog ran away.” Gee, I wonder why the dog ran away? The guy’s action was definitely “wanton,” and certainly not gentle, kind or nice. Considering past posts, you may ask “What does this story have to do with investigations, PIAVA or anything?”
Well, one of the purposes of PIAVA’s Blog is to maintain Virginia’s investigators position, especially PIAVA members, in front of the leading edge of the modern, sophisticated investigation industry. Lately, stories, crimes and prosecutions of animal cruelty cases have made front page news. In Virginia, Michael Vick (you know) plead guilty in federal court to “dog fighting” charges. See Article. Of course, at that time, Vick humbled himself and apologized saying that “Dogfighting . . . is a terrible thing.” Not to be outdone by federal law enforcement, Virginia charged Vick with two state charges — beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs, and engaging in or promoting dogfighting—punishable by up to five years in prison each. Trial is scheduled April 2, 2008, see Article.
Animal Law
In almost the next post Florida Animallaw.com referenced an article I read some time ago entitled “New Pastures for Animal-Rights Lawyers.” See Article. That’s right, folks, a burgeoning field of law is “Animal Law” and that means “leading edge” investigators need to “bone” up on animal laws in their respective jurisdictions–civil and criminal aspects. Virginia has a lot of statues on all aspects of animals in Virginia, from pets (companion animals) to cattle and horses. For example, did you know that in Virginia fox hunters and coon hunters may follow their hunting dogs on to prohibited land without being charged with trespass? Also, hunters of all other game, when the chase begins on other lands, may go upon prohibited lands to retrieve their dogs, but may not carry firearms or bows and arrows on their persons or hunt any game while thereon–no trespass charges. Va. Code section 18.2-136 Code 18.2-136.
This post is too long. So, I will wrap it up. But, look out for the burgeoning opportunities for animal law investigators.
Bill Lowrance
President PIAVA
