“This is really a groundbreaking law,” said David Rosengard, a staff lawyer at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, an organization that supported the legislation. Photo“What I really, really wanted to do was get at those numbers of convictions,” said Representative Diana Urban, a Democratic state lawmaker who sponsored the legislation. The case mobilized animal activists, who were incensed after Desmond’s owner was placed in an accelerated rehabilitation program in 2013. Even now, Christine Kiernan, who helped organize what became Desmond’s Army, tears up when she recounts details of his case. It’s about stopping the cycle of violence, but it usually starts with animals,” Ms. Kiernan said.

Source: New York Times August 27, 2017 15:22 UTC