LANSING – The Michigan House today passed legislation calling for stiff fines and/or imprisonment for those who are convicted of animal cruelty charges. State Representative Pam Byrnes (D-Lyndon Township), who sponsored a bill in the package, said she was moved to action by a rash of grisly dog mutilations in Washtenaw County last year.
"The individual or individuals who committed these crimes, which remain unsolved, deserve harsh punishment," Byrnes said. "My husband and I live on a farm, where we keep donkeys, dogs and cats. Our animals are an important part of our lives. This kind of disgusting, senseless violence toward pets deserves harsh punishment."
Byrnes' bill will prohibit the intentional killing, torture, mutilation, maiming or disfigurement of an animal. Those convicted of any of those offenses could face up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
According to the Detroit News, dozens of mutilated, dead dogs have been discovered in a rural area east of Ann Arbor since January of 2006. Also found were the skinned carcasses of coyotes, foxes and deer. In many cases, the animals were also decapitated.
State Representative John Espinoza (D-Croswell) sponsored a bill in the package that will change sentencing guidelines so that those convicted of multiple offenses of animal cruelty or neglect receive harsher punishment.
"Prosecutors need the tools to effectively punish the individuals who commit these heinous crimes," Espinoza said. "This legislation sends the message that the people of Michigan don't take animal cruelty lightly."