Following cues from animal rescue efforts after Hurricane Katrina, a huge animal rights bill introduced Tuesday would direct the District to create a plan to rescue pets in the event of a major attack.
The plan would include creation of a registry so animals could be identified and cared for in the event of an emergency, according to the 48-page omnibus Animal Protection Amendment Act of 2007, introduced by Council Member Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3.
The bill resulted, in part, from Cheh’s work establishing The Animal Welfare Project at the George Washington University law school. It as an attempt to overhaul District laws regarding the treatment of animals based on a review of D.C. Code.
“The fact of the matter is I found out we were good in some places and not so good in other places,” Cheh said. “We weren’t really bad or good in one way or another. There were a lot of areas we found were fertile ground for improvement.”
The bill would create cross-reporting requirements in homes with children where animals have been subject to abuse. Cheh said animal abuse and child abuse often go hand in hand. The bill would also establish a sterilization program for pets and require breeders to obtain licenses. District law does not currently require pet owners to spay or neuter.
“Literally, hundreds and hundreds of animals are destroyed every month,” Cheh said. “There’s no way to get around this. So you have to get at it from the other end. If people knew the steady drumbeat of death because there are so many animals and not enough homes, I think they would be astounded.”
Cheh said there were more than 1,700 complaints about potential animal abuse received by the Washington Humane Society in 2005, with only five full-time staff to respond. The District contracts with the Washington Humane Society, which was established by Congress, to provide animal enforcement and sheltering services. A provision in the bill would also allow other organizations to seek an injunction against potential abusers in the courts to ease the burden on the Humane Society.
“Society is often judged by how we treat the least among us,” Cheh said.
