Holly Crawford, convicted of animal cruelty for her attempted internet sale of pierced and tail-docked "gothic kittens," is seeking to re-open her home-based grooming business.

Crawford tried to sell three kittens on eBay that had a variety of piercings and docked tails. She was convicted of a misdemeanor and a summary count of animal cruelty under Pennsylvania animal cruelty laws. The original sentence called for six months of house arrest and an additional twenty-one months of evaluation, during which time the business is to remain closed. Considering Pennsylvania law calls for mandatory jail time, Ms. Crawford has already received a fair amount of leniency from the courts.

Promising to never pierce or tail-dock kittens again, Ms. Crawford is preying on the kindness of the court. During trial, Ms. Crawford did not believe she had done anything wrong, even relaying the belief that her kittens were happy under her care.

As the basis for re-opening her grooming business, Ms. Crawford claims that she is in high demand and hasn't been able to find other employment. A weak argument, considering Luzerne County has an unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. That's about 30,000 people also looking for work.

Ms. Crawford should count her blessings to still be allowed to have animals of her own.  Entrusting the lives of other people's animals in a basement-run home business is not a gamble that should be bet on.

Tell Luzerne County court to deny Ms. Crawford's probation petition, allowing her complete evaluation to determine whether she should be allowed to run a business centered on animals.

Photo Credit: Steve Voght