An important Virginia animal welfare bill passed unchallenged through the Senate and House of Delegates. If signed by Governor Northam, SB 1604 will upgrade animal abuse in the state from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Supporters of SB 1604 say that a horrific case of animal cruelty involving a dog named Tommie helped raise awareness of the bill, pushing it through the House. They have dubbed it “Tommie’s Law” in his honor.
An unknown person chained a dog named Tommie to a pole and set him on fire. Tommie battled to survive for five days under the care of Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) and the Virginia Veterinary Center.
With severe burns over 40 percent of his body, tragically, the trauma proved to be too much for this brave dog — his body gave up.
Shockingly, current legislation dictates that even the most brutal torture and abuse of an animal can only be prosecuted as a felony if it results in the death of that animal. No matter how serious the cruelty, if an animal survives, the assailant can only be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, resulting in only a maximum of 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
The passing of SB 1604 rectifies this; regardless of whether animal abuse results in the death of an animal or not, the perpetrator will be charged with a Class 6 felony and face up to five years in prison.
Senator Bill DeSteph (R-Virginia Beach) introduced the bill after hearing about a shocking case of abuse in 2016, when a man attacked a dog with a machete. The dog survived, and the perpetrator was only charged with a misdemeanor.
“I think this is so wrong that it’s only a misdemeanor,” said DeSteph. “People who torture a dog, or any animal like this, their next step is to go after a human. They’re truly a threat to public safety and to society and should be dealt with severely.”
A Lady Freethinker petition urging Richmond Police to hunt down Tommie’s attacker has garnered more than 25,000 signatures, with outpourings of rage, grief, and support for Tommie and his rescuers.
Would I just jump at the chance to do the same to the POS that did this to an innocent being as Tommy. My thoughts are with this beautiful Pup
AMEN- SHOULD BE A FELONY IN- EVERY STATE!!!
ANIMAL ABUSES MUST NEVER BE TOLERATED….STRONG LAWS MUST BE MADE WORLD WIDE TO PROTECT ALL ANIMALS FROM ABUSE!!!
Amen!
So in Virginia mistreating dogs is a felony but it’s okay to abort(murder) babies. How typical.
Love you Tommie ! More protection for animals laws needed everywhere !
Please let’s help stop this horrible act of cruelty
Northam better sign it !!!!!!
ANIMAL ABUSE MUST BE A FELONY IN VERY STATE. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE INSANITY.
Poor Tommie died because of the injuries that he received from a scum bag who I hope gets caught and burned like poor Tommie.People who do things like this must be sick in the head.
As a UK citizen I am appalled at how little so many American states care for the welfare of animals. No wonder we keep reading of these terrible cases of cruelty in the U.S. Why aren’t the citizens of those states voicing their disgust and demanding harsher sentencing for the monsters who commit these terrible acts?
Bless poor Tommie. May the Angels watch over him and he rest in peace. Let’s hope the rest of the world follow on.
ok virginia, let’s see if you enforce the animal cruelty law that was just passed. you’re about as lax as the rest of the country when it comes to cruelty to animals. rip tommie
You poor sweet baby. You won’t be forgotten. Rest in peace little one.
Cruelty needs to STOP!
They can use ozone at Vet Clinics…it can heal skin internally/externally fast and not hurt as it raises oxygen. Ozone kills infections fast. Very sad to see a people/pets die due to lack of using ozone and other natural help.
When I see this poor dog, I know there are monsters in this world.
When I see this horrid photo, I know there are true monsters in this world.
SIGN THE BILL and make it mandatory prison time for animal abusers! We must speak up for animals!
Animal abuse and cruelty need to be a felony in every state
I hope some day that the death penalty is considered for violent animal abusers! Animal abusers are sick and dangerous people. Violence is violence, whether perpetrated on an animal or person. And violent offenders will not stop without real consequences!
I’m only sorry that it had to come to this for this law to become law
I can only hope that the piece of shit that did that to an animal will someday be dealt the same. I hope and pray that he rots in hell.
Thank you to all who help these deAr creatures.
HUGE APPLAUSE FOR VIRGINIA FOR STEPPING UP AND DEFENDING THE VOICELESS!
NOW, COMMIT TO FIND AND PUNISHING THOSE WHO DO SUCH CRUELTY!!!!!
un salvaje asesino como ese puede seguir haciendo daño y después seguirá con las personas tienen que encarcelarlo por toda la vida si es posible
Tommie, Love You ! So sad what happened to Tommie. Thank you VIRGINIA for helping, and changing laws to protect animals.
Shalom my fellow Activist
Any crime like this should be a felony, no questions asked. We owe it to Tommie!
Any crime like this should be a felony, no questions asked.
Thank you senator DeSteph, please we urge Gov Notham to sign. We all know he cares nothing about Human BABIES, ADVOCATING INFANTICIDE, KILLING THEM AFTER THEY’RE BORN. BUT maybe he’ll Care more about animals. But even if he does, he’s an evil Satanic man. He ought to be ashamed of himself passing a bill to kill infants born alive. Shame on you Mr Northam
Perhaps Sen DeSteph you as a republican can try to convince your ” baby killing” Democratic governor to stop his sinister SUPPORT of killing babies after they’re born.
THANK YOU, Senator Bill DeSteph, for vetting this Bill. Having any animal attacked with a machete should never have been a misdemeanor. Unacceptable. And what happened to Tommie is nothing short of murder.
We would love to see this reaction, and position, adopted in every state and territory of our country.
R.I.P. Tommie – I hope you knew you WERE loved and valued during your last days.
There should be a petition started to have laws in place for these horrific crimes to animals. And it should be nationally recognized with the same penalties in each state for that criminal activity.
GOOD LAW — my heart breaks for these sweet, vulnerable, innocent animals who suffer tremendously when in the wrong hands.
Thank you, Senator DeSteph and Virginia. This is a solid beginning to a long-neglected issue. Now the remaining 49 states and the District of Columbia need to get their act together.
While it is true that these monsters go on to commit torture against humans, that is not the sole reason that punishment must be meted out against these individuals. NO animal deserves to be treated with such heinous disregard.
Well done Virginia, and Senator DeSteph/
Quand je vois de telles atrocités je serais prête à faire subir le même sort à ce monstre, et pourtant, je ne suis pas méchante!!!!!
Veronique – beaucoup de gens ressentent la même chose que vous. Le fait d’aimer les animaux et de punir ceux qui les abusent bien ne fait pas de nous des gens mauvais.
Thanku Sen. Bill DeSteph.
WHEN YOU ASK US TO KEEP COMMENTS PEACEFUL, I FIND IT VERY HARD TO DO WHEN SOMEONE HAS BEEN THIS CRUEL TO A HELPLESS ANIMAL!!
I say an eye for an eye, and when caught do the same thing to them, and ten send to jail where animal lover prisioners will definitely take care of him!!!!
How do we get animal abuse to be a felony in every state? Do we need a state-by-state petition? I’d be glad to get one started for California.
I’m glad to hear it, but it seems too lenient to me. Each of these figures should be at least doubled.
what I would like to know is why it takes a “shocking act of animal cruelty” against a dog to make a law, but any shocking act of cruelty to a cat is no big deal.
My question for the last 30 years!
I’ve been volunteering in animal rescue for over three decades – I started young. I’ve seen first-hand that when it comes to cat abuse, it’s one of the most under-reported crimes. Because, and I’ve heard this with my own ears, it’s “only a cat. Now, if this were a dog”… Same in most shelters. Cats get the left-over funds and time. It makes me so sad.
Thank you for commenting on this subject. Nice to see someone else cares.
Please don’t ever stop, even when someone calls you crazy. Fighting any animal abuse should never label anyone crazy.
The Virginia Animal Welfare Bill is a good start. This bill must pass in all states in the US. Animal cruelty must be called out for what it is.