Advocates are hopeful public outcry over scalded kittens and an oven-burnt dog will motivate state lawmakers to pass legislation elevating egregious animal torture to a third-degree felony.
As it stands, Utah is one of nine states across the country that has failed to increase the penalty for torturing an animal to a felony — and one of only two Western states that doesn't have the provision on its books.
For Rep. Scott Wyatt, R-Logan, it hasn't been for lack of trying.
He's run bills the past two sessions and encountered opposition — especially from his rural colleagues — over concerns that his "animal rights" bill will criminalize the acceptable husbandry practices of farmers, ranchers, zookeepers and rodeo promoters.
"It scares people. People who are involved in agriculture are easily scared about anything that sounds like animal rights," Wyatt said. "This isn't about animal rights — far from it. I've had people tell me they thought the bill was crazy, and it was obvious they didn't understand the bill."
Rather, Wyatt said his legislation strengthens the protections for farmers, hunters and other traditional husbandry practices but increases the penalty for animal cruelty if it is torture.
"The intent on my part has been to protect people more than animals.This is a people bill. ... The reason to enhance the penalty for someone who goes about the pretty serious torture of an animal is because that person needs some help. We ought to be able to approach abuse as abuse."
The push to increase the penalty comes amid publicity surrounding two recent cases officials say are particularly egregious — that of Henry the dog, who was put in a 200-degree oven, and that of more than a half dozen kittens that either suffered broken legs, broken tails or were scalded, possibly by hot water or a chemical.
Marc Vincent was charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a class A misdemeanor, and is due to be sentenced Nov. 6 in connection with Henry's case. The offense is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, while felonies can result in longer incarceration to prison and tougher probation.
Clint L. Wilkes is to be in Salt Lake County's Justice Court today for arraignment on two class B misdemeanors of animal cruelty and one class B misdemeanor of animal abandonment in connection with the abuse of the kittens.
Temma Martin, spokeswoman for Salt Lake County Animal Services, said her agency wants to be able to weigh in on the kitten case, which was investigated by her office.
The last kitten that was brought in is not likely to survive, she said Monday.
"Its tail fell off from the burns, and it is facing surgery," Martin said. "The skin is sloughing off, and the vet is saying it might have to have skin grafts."
Just as state and federal legislation across the country often is named after human victims — such as Jessica's Law or the Jacob Wetterling Act — Martin said especially heinous animal abuse cases get nicknames that can help their passage.
In Utah, it was the late 1990s when the penalties for aggravated animal cruelty were increased. Martin said changes were inspired by the case of Dawg, a young Rottweiler beaten to death by a husband in front of his wife and children.
"He sprayed a high powered hose into its eyes, beat it and then threw it in a canal," Martin said. "The woman got the dog out of the canal and took it to the vet, but it died. It's sad, but it kind of takes a case like that to get people really motivated to contact their legislators. Maybe we'll have a Henry's Law."
John Fox, chief investigator for the Humane Society of Utah for the past 34 years, said the variety of ways people think up to torture an animal is limited only by their imagination.
In Vernal, some men decided it would be entertainment to seriously startle bar patrons by capturing a bunch of rattlesnakes, wiring their mouths shut and then tossing them on the tables.
In Milford, some folks caught a coyote, wired its mouth shut with bailing wire, bound its front and back legs and clamped shut its penis. The animal was then ferried about town in the back of a pickup truck. Fox said the intent was to wait until the animal's bladder was full, kill it and retrieve the urine to bait coyote traps.
Fox joins Martin and Wyatt in saying the link between abusing animals and abusing people is strong.
"Certainly, we should take animal abuse seriously for whatever is happening to the animal, but let us look a step further and consider that this is not normal behavior," Martin said.
Wyatt, the former Cache County attorney, said animal torture cases that would rise to a level of a felony would embrace a set of circumstances in which there is no question regarding the level of depravity involved.
"We are talking about the evil, mean abuse of another living being — the kind of abuse that is over the top."
It's anticipated that a coalition of groups will return to Capitol Hill to work with Wyatt and others to push successful passage of the bill next session.
"It is not about animal rights," Wyatt said. "It is a statement by society about what is acceptable and what is clearly not acceptable — and how unacceptable it is. When you're talking about the significant, serious ongoing torture of an animal, that is something society should say is a serious problem and we do that by making it a felony."
E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com