Beasts of Burden (Page 1 of 4)

Animal lovers might remember an old television commercial that showed a happy family laughing and celebrating around their Christmas tree in their nice warm home. As the shot pulled back, the frigid, snowy yard was shown and lying outside with no shelter was the family dog, chained up and gazing longingly in the window at the family he yearned to join while he was forgotten in the cold.

This image sadly represents the reality for many of the 69.1 million U.S. households that own at least one pet . For centuries the bond between man and animal has created healthy and rewarding relationships when properly maintained. But without proper education about responsible pet ownership, what is supposed to be a beloved friend can all too often turn into a burden. And when animals become neglected or abused, the results can be tragic and miserable for all involved.

Tennessee headlines have been full of morbid stories recently involving man’s best friend, from the pit bull attacks on a Knoxville animal control officer to Bobo the Chihuahua being dragged behind a minivan almost a mile in Campbell County last December. Dustin Daniels, who allegedly dragged a dog to death down Merchant’s Drive in September, will have her case reviewed by the grand jury after having waived her preliminary hearing in general sessions court. With legislation in the works to toughen up on pet owners and statistics regarding abuse, neglect and strays on the rise, possible and permanent solutions to animal neglect and abuse nationwide, let alone in East Tennessee, remain ambiguous. In a state where it’s an everyday occurrence to see dogs chained up and left to the elements outside, and where many cats have free reign to roam and reproduce at will, the issue of what constitutes abuse and neglect is often difficult to pin down and enforce.

While there are no federal anti-cruelty laws, each state is responsible for its own animal anti-cruelty statutes. When animal cruelty is in question, authorities in Tennessee must determine whether the act of abuse against the animal was intentional or was a failure to act by the person in the animals’ interest. According to Tennessee Code Annotated, to be charged with animal cruelty, a person knowingly or purposely “tortures, maims or grossly overworks an animal, fails unreasonably to provide necessary food, water, care or shelter … abandons unreasonably … transports or confines an animal in a cruel manner; or inflicts burns, cuts, lacerations, or other injuries or pain, by any method, including blistering compounds, to the legs or hooves of horses in order to make them sore for any purposes.”

With so much room for interpretation, enforcing anti-cruelty laws and imposing fines is a difficult process. Dave Head, director of Knox County Animal Control, says KCAC does its best to answer all complaints, but the job can be difficult due to the strict letter of animal cruelty laws.  

“It really depends, it depends on what you classify as neglect and what the state classifies as neglect,” says Head. “If someone is without water, it’s not neglect, it’s more stupidity … If a dog is tied to a chain but can get to food, water and shelter it’s not abuse. It really depends on what we see when we get out there.”

Head says the county received 11,000 calls last year, but not all were abuse or neglect related. “We break calls down and most of the time it’s not neglect,” says Head. “I want to say people are stupid. ‘Oh I fed my dog last week is that okay?’ Well, do you eat everyday? Dogs have to eat, too. We answer 800 to 900 calls like that in a year’s time.”

Head says that KCAC consists of a six-person team covering all 537 square miles of the county every day. “We get anywhere from 75 to 100 calls a day … To make a complaint you must leave your name and telephone number … We do not take anonymous complaints because sometimes we have to use them in court,” says Head. “They have to give their name and address, it’s the only way, but we protect [personal information] pretty religiously.”