Progress! Nevada Felony Animal Cruelty Bill Passes Senate

Nevada is one step closer to passing Senate Bill 223, which makes certain acts of cruelty toward animals a felony. SB 223 was passed by the Senate two weeks ago and is now before the Assembly.

The bill, nicknamed Cooney’s Law, stipulates that the willful act of cruelty toward a cat, dog or other companion animal is considered a category D felony. Nevada Voters for Animals is one of the devoted groups working hard to bring awareness to animal cruelty and to help pass the bill.

An amendment (pdf) added to SB 223 states that if the act of cruelty “is committed against the animal in order to threaten, intimidate or terrorize another person” it is considered a category C felony. This is an upgrade from the current law making it a category D felony to kill the animal of another person. Perhaps Nevada is beginning to take the link between animal abuse and domestic violence seriously.

The story of Cooney, who was violently killed by her owner with a box cutter, is an excellent case of how violence toward animals is linked to violence toward people. When SB 223 was named after Cooney, it was done to ensure that she did not brutally die by the hands of her owner in vain. Little did anyone know that Cooney's killer, Raymond Rios, has a history of both domestic violence and animal abuse.

In a letter presented as an exhibit to the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mining, Michelle Foredice explained how Rios, her former husband, abused both her and the family pets. On one occasion, Rios used pliers to pull the pet hamster’s teeth out as an example of what he would do to Foredice if she left him.

Despite all the evidence of how violence begets violence, including the abuse or killing of animals to obtain power and control, Rios is currently a free man walking the streets of Reno. Even though Rios freely confessed his actions, officers cannot legally arrest someone for a misdemeanor unless the crime is witnessed by police.

Foredice also believes that the violence and abuse their son witnessed as a young child led him to a life of crime. He has been incarcerated for much of his adult life, currently in jail on a charge of attempted murder.

When discussing opposition to the bill, Gina Griesen of Nevada Voters for Animals reminds us that the bill is intended to be used in cases like Cooney’s for the small percentage of animal owners that take extreme actions to harm animals, not as a way to target every animal owner. SB 223 is designed as a tool of prevention to break the cycle of violence.

“The bill is intended to protect not only animals but humans,” Griesen told me. “If we can get abusers when they kill the dog to threaten the victim, we don’t have to wait until the victim is killed. Do we really want to wait until the human abuse has taken place to charge the person with a felony?”

The first Assembly Committee meeting for SB 223 was held on Tuesday with a result of “No Action.” Since the bill is new to the Assembly, this outcome is not unexpected. However, that does not mean we should sit idly by and assume the bill will pass without any complications. Contact your representative and ask them to vote in support of SB 223.

Photo Credit: A Gude