Protect Service Animals in Northern Ireland
'Accused faces a number of charges including criminal damage to a PSNI dog and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal'.
Look at the above - criminal damage and unnecessary suffering!! This is what makes me angry.
**Firstly, criminal damage - PD's or any animal are NOT property, it is not a damaged police car or police radio or broken window it is a breathing, sentient being that feels pain like you and me. Why even this is worded like this in the Animal Welfare Act (NI) 2011 is unbelievable and how all animals are looked upon.
**Secondly, unnecessary suffering - 'Fear of Defence'. The Animal Welfare Act (NI) 2011 Part 2 section 4 In deciding whether the suffering caused to an animal is unnecessary, the 2011 Act provides that there are a number of factors which must be considered. There are quite a lot of factors here and one where an offender can claim he was defending himself (Fear of Defence).
This is one of the reasons I decided to run this campaign so all service animals in Northern Ireland are afforded the same Law as Scotland and England & Wales, to treat any animal as the above ** is disgraceful especially a trained K9.
These K9's are highly trained, the K9 in the article works for the PSNI so therefore is employed by them they are K9 Officers and not paid in monetary terms but in love and kindness and looked after well.
It is quite sickening that offenders get off with kicking, strangling, stabbing a K9 because of 'Fear of Defence' so are charged with criminal damage e.g. a broken window and why it takes campaigns like this to change the Law.
As The Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 will not be law by the time this person in the article is charged so will only be charged with criminal damage, in other words the K9 will be valued just like you value your car!
If you haven't completed the Public Consultation Paper for changes to ensure that the law demonstrates sufficient regard for the vital role that service dogs play in protecting the community in Northern Ireland and that they are provided with the same level of protection as they are afforded elsewhere in the United Kingdom, please complete it and also add your views for higher sentencing (penalties) also.
Thank you.
I will keep an eye out for this case to see the sentence given.
ServiceAnimalsNI