If ever proof was need that Britain is NOT, absolutely, categorically NOT a nation of animal lovers, look no further than today’s news that 48-year old Tina Henwood who left her cat and dog to starve to death, to suffer a slow, painful, agonising, un-thinkable demise has been given a suspended jail termof 5 months.

I must stress, this is a suspended jail term of 5 months. Please don’t make the mistake of actually thinking she’s been incarcerated for that paltry period of time. No, she’s been warned that if she commits another crime THEN she’ll actually be sent to jail.

So what did she do?

She admitted to causing the unnecessary suffering of her dog, a Labrador cross called Max and her female cat, Misty.

She moved homes and left the animals to die. And die, they most surely did. They slowly starved to death. Inspectors found scratch marks on the doors of the home where the animals had tried desperately to escape. These two animals suffered a tortuous, undignified death, the likes of which we should rightly feel horrified about.

And the woman who caused this, the person responsible who actually went out of her way to lie to her family, telling them the dog had died and she had given the cat away, full in the knowledge that the animals were dying in the home where she had abandoned them, is given a suspended 5-month prison term.

It’s wrong.

How are we ever to expect animal cruelty to be given the serious attention it deserves if we stand by and watch people like this get a slap on the wrist because, in mitigation, she was ‘of previous good character’?

Why should we expect the next animal abuser to care about what might happen to them if they know, as we ALL know, that the British law does NOT take animal cruelty seriously?

A nation of animal lovers? Don’t make me laugh.

We tacitly endorse animal cruelty when we let scum bags like this walk free from court with a suspended 5-month sentence and a ban on keeping animals.

To rub salt into the wounds, it would appear that some – who should know better – seem to think that this sentence should deter others.

RSPCA inspector Christine Guy said: “This was an extremely distressing case, for both myself and the landlord of the property.

“I cannot begin to understand how anyone could have done what Miss Henwood did. I hope the sentence will prevent any further animals from suffering in future.”

Sorry, but WHY WOULD IT?

How has Henwood’s life been affected?

Here’s a woman cold hearted enough to sleep in her bed at night in the full knowledge that her own pets are starving to death after she abandoned them and we’re expected to believe that she’s going to care about a suspended jail term? Really?

I don’t think so.

Let’s not kid ourselves any longer. Let’s get past this myth that Britain is a nation of animal lovers. We are most certainly not.

We have state endorsed killing of dogs via our draconian, failed breed specific legislation concept.

We have over 100,000 dogs abandoned and thrown on the scrapheap by owners who are no longer prepared to commit to them.

We have puppy farms doing a roaring trade up and down the country.

We have dogs being bred, knowingly, with hereditary health conditions that doom the poor animal to a lifetime of suffering.

We have the most callous, sick, disgusting animal abusers walking free from court with pathetic sentences handed down by a judicial system that, frankly, treats animal abuse as a minor misdemeanor.

We have no right to call ourselves a nation of animal lovers until we take the steps to address these travesties. Let’s face that reality and do something about it.

www.petparliament.com

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Related posts:

1. Let’s Get it Straight, Britain is NOT a Nation of Animal Lovers
2. Britain: Are We REALLY a Nation of Animal Lovers?
3. British Justice and Its Attitude Towards Animal Cruelty
4. UK Animal Cruelty Stats Released
5. Family Face Penalty For Horrific Animal Cruelty