Up until now, Florida state law has not require veterinarians to report suspected animal cruelty, so they haven't. Allie’s law could get information about suspected cruelty into the hands of those who have the authority to take action to stop the cruelty.
Allie Katherine. (Courtesy of Dave Heine)
Three years ago, a brown-and-white Boston terrier named Allie Katherine
was scrapping for food against six other terriers in the kitchen of a
backyard breeder.
Today, she’s a beloved celebrity at Florida’s state capital in Tallahassee,
where her rescuer and guardian Dave Heine takes her while advocating for a
new bill that could save countless lives.
Allie’s Law, sponsored by Sen. Jason Pizzo and Rep. Dan Daley, would require
veterinary professionals to report suspected animal cruelty. The bill would
also hold veterinary professionals criminally liable for altering animal
records to cover up abuse.
Allie was less than three years old, and pregnant with her third litter of
puppies, when the backyard breeder took her to a Florida veterinarian for an
emergency C-section. The breeder surrendered her to staff, saying he
couldn’t pay for the surgery, according to Heine.
Image via Dave Heine...
Allie’s tiny face and legs bore visible battle scars from her scuffles in
the breeder’s house. The veterinarian and staff were aware of Allie’s abuse.
But Florida state law does not require veterinarians to report suspected
animal cruelty, so they didn’t.
Instead, they returned Allie’s five healthy puppies to the breeder, who said
he hadn’t agreed to surrender the puppies — just Allie. A veterinarian
technician took Allie home but later sold her on Craigslist for $400.
Finally, Allie’s story took a happy turn. Heine, the man who spotted her
online, was a member of the high-risk intake team for the Boston Terrier
Rescue of Florida. The nonprofit received a generous donation to bring Allie
into the rescue’s fold, and Heine agreed to foster her. He and his wife fell
in love with Allie. In an epic “foster fail,” the couple decided to adopt
her.
“The little booger grew on my wife and I,” Heine said affectionately. “We
decided Allie would never want for anything ever again, and that included a
loving permanent family.”
Allie, now five-and-a-half years old, has since traveled to the
Tallahassee’s stately halls in style, sporting hot pink nails and lapping up
the adoration of those who now know her well.
This legislative session, Allie’s Law passed two Senate committees but died
on the floor when introduced to the House, with discussion postponed due to
technical problems with the bill’s language. Florida missed a chance to join
more than a dozen other states that mandate the reporting of animal abuse by
veterinary professionals to law enforcement.
But Heine and the sponsoring legislators’ efforts weren’t for naught.
Allie’s story caught the attention of staff at the Animal Legal Defense Fund
(ALDF), a California-based animal law advocacy organization that signed on
to help iron out the bill’s language.
Alicia Prygoski, the legislative affairs manager for ALDF, told Lady
Freethinker that hearing Allie’s story, and seeing how tirelessly Heine had
worked on her behalf, convinced the organization to get involved.
ALDF has also worked on veterinary reporting of animal cruelty in several
other states as well, given the requirement’s potential to vastly decrease
animal suffering and save lives, Prygoski said.
“Mandatory veterinary reporting of animal cruelty could be an animal’s only
chance at getting out of an abusive, and potentially deadly, situation,” she
said. “It is imperative that we empower veterinarians and veterinary
professionals to speak out and report suspected cruelty.”
With ALDF’s help, the revised Allie’s Law is now simplified, streamlined,
and consistent with existing Florida law. The changes will also ensure more
strategic and direct reporting to law enforcement and protection for a
broader range of animals than last session’s bill.
“Allie’s law accomplishes one critical goal,” Prygoski said. “It gets
information about suspected cruelty into the hands of those who have the
authority to take action to stop the cruelty.”
Numerous studies have reported that those who abuse animals often abuse
people, including a 10TampaBay investigation that found 42 people in the
area arrested for abusing animals who also were arrested for domestic
violence.
“Research suggests a direct link between acts of cruelty to animals and
violence towards humans,” she said. “Whether it be domestic violence, elder
abuse, child abuse, or other violent behavior, requiring veterinary
reporting for instances of animal abuse could help lead law enforcement to a
situation in which humans are also experiencing violence.”
With both sponsoring legislators’ continued support, the revised Allie’s Law
will be re-introduced next legislative session. If the bill passes in 2021,
it will be the first time in Florida history that reporting animal abuse is
a requirement.
“Veterinarians swear an oath to protect the safety and welfare of animals,”
Daley told ABC Action News. “This is no different. This is just reinforcing
that oath.”
People interested in following Allie’s journey can tune in to her
Facebook
page, which has more than 14,000 followers, and sign the Allie’s Law
change.org petition.
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