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WEB-SITE LAST UPDATED 9-19-11 This website is designed to provide Nevada registered voters with information on what can be done
to help the animals of Nevada.
CALLING
ALL ANIMAL LOVERS... PLEASE MAKE YOUR VOTE and YOUR VOICE COUNT FOR ANIMALS. JOIN OUR MAILING LIST & Facebook
page TO RECEIVE ACTION ALERTS AND INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN HELP. Note: the Facebook page
will contain the most up-to-date info!
WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON... ANIMAL ACTION ALERTS! Tuesday, September 20, 2011, TWO VERY IMPORTANT MEETINGS! Clark County Advisory Committee to Manage Wildlife What: The County Advisory Board from
Clark County that makes recommendations to the NV Wildlife Commission will make a recommendation about a PERMANENT BEAR HUNT.
Although this is mainly a Northern NV issue, County Advisory Boards (CAB's) from all over NV make recommendations regarding
statewide wildlife issues. The temporary bear hunt is currently under way. There is NO reliable scientific data
that suggests a bear hunt is necessary to manage bear populations. These bears are a resource that belong to ALL NEVADANS,
not just a handful of hunters. Unless/until reliable scientific data clearly shows a need for a bear hunt, there should
be NO BEAR HUNT in NV. Please lend your voice to protect NV's Black Bears. agenda:http://www.ndow.org/learn/cab/clark/092011_Agenda.pdf
(item #6) More info: http://www.ndow.org/ &
http://nobearhuntnv.org/ Where:
Clark County Government Center, 500 Grand Central Pkwy. Main Entrance. When: Tuesday, September 20, 2011. Bear Hunt Protest starts at 5:00
pm. CAB mtg starts at 6:00 pm. City of Henderson Council Meeting: What: The Council will consider adopting
a revised and updated Title 7 (Henderson Municipal Code relating to Animals). These changes to Title 7 will provide updates
to the laws and increased protections for animals in Henderson. Agenda item UB-30 Link: http://agendadocs.cityofhenderson.com/CC/AV/AgendaItems.asp?Agency=1&UID=837&tit=City%20Council%20REGULAR%20MEETING%209/20/2011 Where: City of Henderson, City Hall,
Council Chambers, 240 Water St., Henderson, NV 89015 When:
Tuesday, 9/20, Mtg starts at 6:30 pm.
COONEY'S LAW GOES INTO EFFECT
OCTOBER 1, 2011!!! THANK YOU to everyone who Supported SB 223! "Cooney's
Law." Prior
to passing Cooney's Law, a first offense of animal cruelty, no matter how violent, was only a misdemeanor.
bill
language(http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Reports/history.cfm?ID=531) 
The law is named after “Cooney,”
a rescue dog that was brutally killed by her owner. Under NV Law, the brutal torture, mutilation with a
box-cutter, and death of Cooney could only be charged as a misdemeanor More about Cooney: http://www.examiner.com/animal-news-in-national/reno-man-arrested-for-mutilating-dog-with-box-cutter
Currently, it's only a misdemeanor to: torture, cruelly beat or unjustifiably injure, maim, mutilate, starve, let
die of thirst, or kill an animal, whether belonging to the person or to another. It only becomes a Felony
after you've abused your 3rd animal. It's currently a Felony under NV law (NRS 574.107) to tamper with
a show-dog. We believe all animals deserve this protection. SB 223 “Cooney's Law” is important because: · Studies show there is a link between animal
abuse and domestic violence ·
Studies show there is a link between animal abuse and violent tendencies, crimes (rape, murder) · It gives law enforcement a tool
to hold animal abusers accountable, especially where domestic violence has occurred
or been threatened. ·
Currently, anyone could torture, mutilate, beat or kill their pet OR, even worse, YOUR pet, and it's ONLY a misdemeanor. · There's already Felony provisions for show
dogs, let's include all pets. THE LINKS BETWEEN ANIMAL ABUSE
AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND VIOLENT CRIME IS A MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY. PLEASE CLICK THE FOLLOWING
LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION. FROM FRANK ASCIONE: http://www.vachss.com/guest_dispatches/safe_havens.html, http://www.vachss.com/guest_dispatches/ascione_1.html, AN EXCERPT: "As noted by Ascione (in press), we have not given sufficient attention to cruelty to animals as an indicator
of partner dangerousness or lethality. A brief question or two about animal maltreatment in intake interviews and crisis call
interview protocols could provide information about a partner's capacity for physical violence. We also must be alert to animal
cruelty as an indication that violence may be escalating. " FROM CHARLES SIEBERT, THE NEW YORK TIMES,
ORGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 6, 2010: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/magazine/13dogfighting-t.html EXCERPT: "In addition to a growing sensitivity to the rights of animals, another significant reason for
the increased attention to animal cruelty is a mounting body of evidence about the link between such acts and serious crimes
of more narrowly human concern, including illegal firearms possession, drug trafficking, gambling, spousal and child abuse,
rape and homicide. "
If you feel inclined, please take a moment
to thank the committee members who voted to pass SB223. In subject line put "Thank you for supporting SB223". You may also like to send your thoughts to
those who voted Against SB223. Voted in favor of SB223: Ed
Goedhart : egoedhart@asm.state.nv.us - 775-684-8805
Kelly Kite : kkite@asm.state.nv.us - 775-684-8843
Pete Livermore : plivermore@asm.state.nv.us - 775-684-8825
Assembly Natural Resources Committee – Condensed Email List OF THOSE WHO
VOTED IN FAVOR OF SB223 (you can cut/paste this email list in “To:” Section of
your email to thank them all at once.): mcarlton@asm.state.nv.us, jhogan@asm.state.nv.us, dbobzien@asm.state.nv.us, paizley@asm.state.nv.us, eanderson@asm.state.nv.us, ibustamanteadams@asm.state.nv.us, egoedhart@asm.state.nv.us, kkite@asm.state.nv.us, plivermore@asm.state.nv.us, hmunford@asm.state.nv.us, ppierce@asm.state.nv.us
2 VOTED AGAINST SB223: John
Ellison : jellison@asm.state.nv.us - 775-684-8831
Ira Hansen : ihansen@asm.state.nv.us - 775-684-8851
Nevada Voters for Animals wishes to thank the following sponsors
of SB 223: State Senators, Shirley Breeden, David Parks and Mark Manendo and Assemblyman Tick Segerblom. THANK YOU
IN ADVANCE FOR TAKING ACTION ON BEHALF OF ANIMALS! TOGETHER, WE GOT THIS BILL PASSED.
CURRENT NV CRUELTY STATUTES. NOTE: Below is an excerpt of the current NV cruelty statute and the current penalties.
Currently, there is NO FELONY provision in our cruelty statute until the 3rd offense of cruelty.
A person could torture, mutilate, cruelly beat, maim, and KILL two (2) animals and it would ONLY be a misdemeanor.
It would only become a felony on the 3rd offense of cruelty (and only if it was in the immediately preceding 7
years). IT'S TIME TO CHANGE NEVADA'S CRUELTY STATUTE! NRS
574.100 Overdriving, torturing, injuring
or abandoning animals; failure to provide proper sustenance; requirements for restraining dogs and using outdoor enclosures;
penalties; exceptions. (http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-574.html#NRS574Sec100) 1. A person
shall not: (a) Overdrive, overload,
torture, cruelly beat or unjustifiably injure, maim, mutilate
or kill an animal, whether belonging to the person or to another; (b) Deprive an animal of necessary sustenance, food or drink, or
neglect or refuse to furnish it such sustenance or drink;
(c) Cause, procure or allow an animal to be overdriven, overloaded, tortured, cruelly beaten, or unjustifiably injured, maimed,
mutilated or killed or to be deprived of necessary food or drink;
(d) Instigate, engage in, or in any way further an act of cruelty to any animal, or any act tending to produce such cruelty;
or (e) Abandon an animal in circumstances
other than those prohibited in NRS 574.110. 5. A person who violates subsection 1, 2 or 3:
(a) For the first offense within the immediately
preceding 7 years, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be sentenced
to: (1) Imprisonment in the
city or county jail or detention facility for not less than 2 days, but not more than 6 months; and
(2) Perform not less than 48 hours, but not more than 120 hours, of community service. Ê The person shall be further punished by a fine of not less than $200, but not more than $1,000.
A term of imprisonment imposed pursuant to this paragraph may be served intermittently at the discretion of the judge or justice
of the peace, except that each period of confinement must be not less than 4 consecutive hours and must occur either at a
time when the person is not required to be at the person’s place of employment or on a weekend.
(b) For the second offense within the immediately preceding 7 years, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall
be sentenced to: (1) Imprisonment
in the city or county jail or detention facility for not less than 10 days, but not more than 6 months; and
(2) Perform not less than 100 hours, but not more than 200 hours, of community service. Ê The person shall be further punished by a fine of not less than $500, but not more than $1,000. (c) For the third and any subsequent offense
within the immediately preceding 7 years, is guilty of a category C felony and shall be punished as provided in NRS 193.130. 6. In addition to any other fine or penalty provided in subsection
5, a court shall order a person convicted of violating subsection 1, 2 or 3 to pay restitution for all costs associated with
the care and impoundment of any mistreated animal under subsection 1, 2 or 3, including, without limitation, money expended
for veterinary treatment, feed and housing. 7. The court may order
the person convicted of violating subsection 1, 2 or 3 to surrender ownership or possession of the mistreated animal.
- CAT RESCUE - A very special THANKS to
NLV City Councilman Richard Cherchio for assisting
animal advocates in rescuing a cat that had been stuck on a power pole for 5 days. The Las Vegas Valley Humane Society
took the initial call of the cat trapped on the pole and contacted the councilman through Nevada Voters for Animals when attempts
to get the power company to rescue the cat were unsuccessful. Within 15 minutes of receiving the call, Councilman Cherchio
personally drove to the site to ensure the cat would be rescued. We are very grateful to have an elected official who
cares so much about animals and has worked with us in the past to address animal issues in NLV. In 2009, Cherchio assisted
us in restricting the sale of animals during extreme temperatures at the outdoor NLV swap meet. Cat
story link http://www.lvrj.com/news/-dead-feline-eludes-rescuers-115087424.html
We are following the case of King, a German Shepard that was shot in Henderson
by an off-duty NLV police officer in November. Please check our JUSTICE FOR KING Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/justiceforking) for updated information on this case. We are requesting that the City of Henderson re-open the investigation
of the shooting of King. The family of King has filed internal affairs complaints regarding this case. http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/25886411/detail.html
- Henderson
Spay/Neuter Ordinance - UPDATE: PASSED! THANK YOU HENDERSON CITY COUNCIL! THIS ORDINANCE PASSED ON
8/3/10. It will go into effect in 120 days. If you own a dog or cat, over the age of 4 mos. in the Cities
of Mesquite, City of North Las Vegas, City of Las Vegas, Clark County or Henderson: SPAY OR NEUTER - IT'S THE LAW.
If you have questions, please contact your local animal control agency. For Low Cost spay/neuter see info on links page.
- CAT
SHOOTER: We are following the case of Arthur Mattox, who is charged with animal cruelty for allegedly shooting
his neighbors cat with a high powered BB gun, paralyzing it, and causing it suffering and ultimately death by euthanasia.
The first hearing is schedule for June 23, 2010, at 1pm in LV Municipal Court. We plan on attending along
with other animal welfare advocates to ensure justice is served in this case. ***Please email us if
you'd like to get contact info for the judge and/or city attorney in this case to ensure justice is served. UPDATE: ADDITIONAL
CHARGES WERE ADDED FOR THIS HORRIFIC CRIME. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE CALLS AND DEMANDED JUSTICE FOR THIS CAT.
THE NEXT COURT DATE FOR Arthur Mattox IS DECEMBER 7, 2010. NEW UPDATE: Case
Continued to OCTOBER 2011. Please email us for updates.
- Educating
and informing is ongoing. Please remember that change starts at home. Please make sure your pets
(and friends/family members' pets) are spayed and neutered. Killing over 31,000 cats and dogs each year in Southern
NV is TRAGIC and unacceptable. We MUST do better! We CAN do better!
VICTORIES FOR ANIMALS! City of Henderson passed mandatory spay/neuter and adopted language from AB 15 which will require posting
of applicable sterilization requirements in public parks, veterinarian offices, and to be disclosed in writing to purchasers
by pet stores.
You may remember seeing stories on ch. 13 and ch.
3 with video showing little puppies crammed in cages sweltering in the summer heat. Click here to see ch. 13 story:
http://www.ktnv.com/global/story.asp?s=10997253&ClientType=Printable Click these links to see video on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOTD69bhLNM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSg29MZLdbk&NR=1 WE'RE GLAD TO REPORT: NLV CITY COUNCIL PASSED ORDINANCE TO REGULATE SALE OF ANIMALS AT SWAP MEET, WITH ENCOURAGEMENT
THAT A FULL BAN IS STILL POSSIBLE IN THE FUTURE. We're thankful no animals will be sold under 55 degress or over 85
degrees. Please email us or report to NLV Animal Control if you witness a violation of temperature restrictions.
We're celebrating the recent passage of regulated spay/neuter
in the City of Las Vegas and Clark County! There is now some uniformity across much of the Las Vegas Valley.
Thank you to everyone who worked on this and turned out to support these ordinances and a HUGE thanks to the elected officials
who had the courage to take a chance on a new direction and strategy in the fight against pet overpopulation. We
euthanized 31,000+ unwanted pets last year in Southern Nevada - nearly enough to fill every seat in SAM BOYD STADIUM.
Please lead by example and spay & neuter your pets and remind your friends, family, co-workers, and the lady in line at
grocery store, to SPAY & NEUTER - IT'S THE LAW! Affordable spay & neuter is available. See links page for more
info.
KITTEN SEASON is HERE! Please remind family, friends, neighbors and co-workers
to BE RESPONSIBLE and spay & neuter their cats - ESPECIALLY if they are outdoor cats. There are leash laws
for Cats and they are not supposed to run at-large. Thousands of homeless kittens grow up feral roaming our streets.
Many are euthanized at the shelter because there
are simply not enough homes for adoption. The only answer is to prevent the litters in the first place. It's the
only way...neuter & spay. And now... it's the law.
TOO MANY HOMELESS & UNWANTED ANIMALS IN SOUTHERN
NV
Like many folks, I consider my PETS (dogs, cat, birds) to be treasured members
of my family. Sadly, there are others who consider them a source of income or just a piece of property that are disposable
when no longer needed or wanted. In Southern Nevada alone, we kill more than 30,000 dogs and cats each year and
in some cases bury them in landfills like trash. The time has come for us to find a morally acceptable and fiscally responsible
way to stop the killing. Please seize this opportunity to stand with us and support much needed CHANGE. EVERY VOICE
COUNTS!
Thank you in advance for your participation on behalf of animals.
Gina
Greisen, President
Nevada Voters For Animals
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