Irving man gets 3 years in prison for throwing puppy down stairs

[BobR]

While in Kinnewick WA a man, Obadiah Soto, had his two harmless puppies shot after they went after the neighbor's chickens and the neighbor himself.

KENNEWICK  A Kennewick man shot and killed his neighbor's two pit bulls after they got into his chicken coop, then charged at him, police said.

"He was protecting his family and our livestock," Laura Chandia said of her husband's actions Monday. "It was the third time they were in our yard that day."

But Obadiah Soto, who lives next door in the 3400 block of South Auburn Street, said the pit bulls were just puppies and didn't need to be killed.

"They're babies. They're not even 6 months old yet," Soto said Tuesday. "They're harmless... There's a much better way of handling it than pulling out a gun and shooting a new neighbor's dogs."

Kennewick police were called to Chandia's home at 4:30 p.m., said Mike Blatman, Kennewick police's crime prevention specialist. One pit bull was found dead in the fenced area of the chicken coop and the other was in the fenced backyard, Blatman said.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004191738_webpitbulls20m.html?syndication=rss

It just struck me as odd that in one day I read two different stories regarding pit bulls where the human who owned them had the last name of Soto.

bob

[seeker_two]

That brings up an interesting question.  Is a dog a person or a person's property?  Does a dog itself have rights, or does the dog's owner have rights over the dog?

I have two dogs. They are my property. They are my companions. I place a lot of value on their lives. More than I place on most humans. You do harm to my dogs, you'll find out that their lives are worth more than yours.....

Agreed.  Anyone who tries to harm my property (four-legged or otherwise) against my will, will find out that he's just made a serious mistake.

The question is, do I have rights over my dog, or do the rights belong to the dog itself? 

Does it matter what kind of animal it is?  Do cats have different rights than dogs?  Do zoo animals have the same rights as pets?  Do livestock animals have the same rights as pets?

What if the animal were a

Hmmm, fascinating question.
imo cute puppies and friendly kittens have more rights then that neighbors dog that barked all night long.
Dogs that are my pals have armed protection 
I believe that animals have inherent rights not to be tortured/abused.
 

It's a matter of stewardship....we're entrusted with the care of our animals....misusing them is no different than misusing our guns (ND) or our cars (speeding) or our homes (Cherry Pit).....there are consequenses to our poor stewardship.....

[Jamisjockey]

Is this where Paddy's been?

[Antibubba]

That brings up an interesting question.  Is a dog a person or a person's property?  Does a dog itself have rights, or does the dog's owner have rights over the dog?

Both.  I can arbitrarily decide if the dog lives or dies.  I have that right.  The dog's rights, however, are such that the death I choose be as quick and painless as possible.  Funny that I don't have the right to choose that for myself, or to stipulate that if the pain is too much the family can invite Dr. Kevorkian in.

seeker two said:

It's a matter of stewardship....we're entrusted with the care of our animals....misusing them is no different than misusing our guns (ND) or our cars (speeding) or our homes (Cherry Pit).....there are consequenses to our poor stewardship.....

Exactly.  Animals do not have the same rights as you or I, which is why a cow can be quickly slaughtered or a deer shot, for food.  Were we to let the cow or deer get caught in a leg trap and suffer for days, on purpose, it would be an entirely different matter.

[Leatherneck]

Dogs and other animals do not have rights in the usual context of what we talk about: human rights.

But on an even higher plane, man is expected to be merciful, sentient, and responsible for his own actions. And even if you don't believe anybody's watching, we--most of us--have a personal standard of behavior. Thus derives our common idea that dogs "have the right to...."

The real rule is: "Man has a responsibility to...(treat dogs right)"

TC