Alonzo-Dunsmoor gives you the inside scoop inside West Valley.


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Rats vs. puppies vs. snakes
04/26/2007 06:58 PM

A Glendale man feeds a puppy coated in oil to a pet boa snake after allowing the snake to crush the little dog to death.

Joseph E. Beadle, 40, is now looking at up to a year in jail and a $150,000 fine for animal cruelty.

That got me wondering whether there was a distinction in state law between puppies and, say, rats -- a more socially acceptable meal for a snake. People don't really think twice about that.

What’s the difference? Both are furry creatures kept as pets. Granted, puppies are viewed as cute and cuddly, while rats have a far less flattering reputation.

Well, according to state law, there is no difference. Mammals, birds, reptiles or amphibians are protected.

Rats, mice — both mammals.

But when was the last time you heard a public outcry over a rat or mouse being fed to a snake? Both are even sold at pet stores specifically as snake food.

Arizona Humane Society spokeswoman Kim Noetzel said they also were wondering about the incongruity.

“That’s a question we’ve been looking at as this case has progressed,” she said. “Because if you read Arizona law as it’s written now, rats and mice would be included.”

She said that as a practical matter, she didn’t think someone would get arrested for feeding a mouse or rat to a pet snake. But a “puppy is a much different issue,” she said.

Why?

The bottom line, she says, puppies are not a natural food source for snakes. And there hasn’t been a case to test whether the law truly would apply to all mammals.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a longtime advocate against animal cruelty, also makes a distinction between rats and puppies.

“I know a lot of people who go to the store and by rat poison,” he said. “Does anybody go to stores and buy dog poison? There is big difference between mice and rats and dogs.”

So what do you think?
http://link.toolbot.com/azcentral.com/75987