SHF, I agree with you, and I'll get to that later. I don't know the exact wording of this bill, or any Rhode Island law for that matter, but it seems to me all this bill does is to exchange one term for another. To have teeth, the term would have to agree with other laws already on the books.
For example, I'm sure some states have laws against leaving a child unattended in a car, but I think most states use a general law on child endagerment. In ether case, for the law to apply to a dog left in a car, it would have to be worded with "guardian" etc. And the offense would already be covered under an animal cruelty law, so whats the point?
Of course, there is the obvious, that this is a step toward bringing animals up to the same level as humans, or taking us down to theirs.
For the past few years it seems to me that we are quickly becoming a nation of busy bodies, snitches, and tattle tales. The list of hotlines for reporting various offenses grows daily, as does the number of calls they recieve.
Ernie
