Man beheads his horse and feeds its head to his dogs, police say

A California man was arrested on charges of felony animal cruelty after police say he bludgeoned his horse with a sledgehammer, decapitated it with a chainsaw and fed it to his dogs.

  
Wow, this guy is a real winner!  Authorities say, in the past, that he has been cited for inhumane living conditions for his animals.  He has also faced multiple kennel violation charges and failing to get his animals vaccinated.  This guy had at least 33 dogs, 8 puppies, 10 goats, peacocks and geese on his property as well.  


The horse's remains have been taken to a state lab where a necropsy (autopsy for animals) will be done to see if decapitation was the cause of death or if it was alive when it was decapitated.


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Man who brutally beat puppy gets slap on the wrist!

A San Rafael man charged with beating his Chihuahua puppy pleaded guilty after a judge said she would reduce his charge to a misdemeanor and limit his sentence to 44 days in jail.

Jose Misael Cardenas, 20, will be sentenced March 11 by Judge Kelly Simmons, who offered the deal. Cardenas pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty count that prosecutors charged as a felony, but the judge has the discretion to make it a misdemeanor.

The investigation began on Aug. 27, when authorities received an anonymous tip from a resident on North San Pedro Road about someone beating a Chihuahua, according to the Marin Humane Society.

An animal control officer arrived to find the 6-month-old dog, Scooby, needing emergency treatment; it had bruises, was limping and lethargic. Cardenas, who said he owned the dog, denied any wrongdoing.

The dog was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with hemorrhaging to the left eye, bruising to its legs, chest and right ear, and fluid in its lungs, authorities said.

Prosecutors filed charges of animal cruelty, dissuading a witness and failure to take care of an animal. After a preliminary examination of the evidence in September, Judge Simmons ruled there was sufficient evidence to hold a trial on the animal cruelty charge, but she dismissed the two other charges.

Scooby, who was taken from Cardenas by the Marin Humane Society, has since been adopted, said Deputy District Attorney Aicha Mievis.



Cardenas told investigators he bought the dog at a flea market in Vallejo.



Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009: Report and Judgment



Here is his case number: SC160895A, Jose Misael Cardenas


Judge Kelly V. Simmons, appointed to the bench in 2005, received her bachelor's degree from San Diego State University and law degree from Pepperdine Law School. 

http://www.marincourt.org/bios_judge.htm



To contact the court locally:
Phone: (415) 473-6225
Location: Civic Center, Hall of Justice, Room C-10
Office Hours: 8:00am - 4:00pm

Email the judge:

Email: criminal@marincourt.org

Mailing address:

Marin County Superior Court
3501 Civic Center Drive
San Rafael, California 94903


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Arkansas Senate Unanimously Passes Animal Cruelty Bill

Update Jan. 23, 2009: This bill is moving fast through the Arkansas legislature. The Senate has now passed it 34-0! 
The bill moves to the House. Contact Arkansas House members and urge them to vote yes on S.B. 77.
Read Animal Law Coalition's earlier reports below for more information and a copy of this bill.
Update Jan. 21, 2009: Today, the Arkansas Senate Judiciary Committee approved S.B. 77 on a voice vote.
Here is a copy of the bill.
For more on this bill and why you should urge Arkansas legislators to support it, read Animal Law Coalition's earlier report below. 
Original report: The promised felony animal cruelty bill, S.B. 77, has been introduced.
If it passes, Arkansas will have for the first time a law that makes animal cruelty a felony in some circumstances.
Right now, Arkansas is one of a few states where animal cruelty is not a felony no matter the circumstances. Efforts to make some animal cruelty a felony has failed in past legislative sessions. 
The Arkansas Farm Bureau, representing 227,000 farmers in the state, has said it will support this legislation as has the Arkansas Poultry Federation.

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Wyoming makes 50! All 50 states have felony dog fighting laws!

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is pleased to announce that dog fighting is now a felony everywhere in the United States. Last week, Wyoming made dog fighting a felony, the 50th state in the country to do so.
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