This is a story that began more than 15 years ago, when an eight week old puppy was beaten and burned and left for dead in a Greensboro, NC park. The puppy, Susie, was found by a good samaritan, and after many months of medical treatment and care, was well enough to be adopted.
Susie’s story had made the news and her adoptive mother had a story of her own which made her want to take action. Over the weeks and months, Susie’s abuse case was heard in the Superior Court and caught the attention of then NC Senator Don Vaughan, who believed that something could and must be done to advocate for pets who were deliberately abused or killed by their owners.
At that time (2009), conviction of such horrendous abuse could not result in jail time. Yet Senator Vaughan, Susie’s owner, , and many grass roots animal lovers were not deterred. They advocated for protections in every corner of the NC Legislature, and against all odds “Susie’s Law” was passed and signed into law on June 19, 2010.
The difficulty of passing such a law cannot be overstated. Very well-heeled lobbyists representing the poultry industry, the pork farmers, the dog breeders, and others rallied to make sure that a law protecting animals in North Carolina would never reach a vote. And although there is much left to be done to protect animals in North Carolina, Susie’s Law was a great start and has been used in over 50 counties to prosecute animal abusers and killers.
In my next blog post, I will write about what still needs to be done in the NC Legislature, and how now might be the perfect time to introduce additional protections.