Proposed ballot initiative seeks to create registry of convicted animal abusers
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - There's a push underway to bring down the number of animal abuse cases in Michigan.
According to reports from Michigan State Police, such cases have exploded in recent years, from 123 incidents in 2016 to 607 in 2021.
Animal advocates and law enforcement want to see another layer of accountability to prevent convicted animal abusers from ever owning a pet again.
Some of the animal abuse cases are simply horrific.
"I did a story where a dog was starved to death and it yelled and screamed for over two weeks until it died in its cage. It was a service dog. And then another video of what's called 'crush videos,' where small, helpless animals had their skulls crushed, and they were both charged by the prosecutors. You have dogs that are being shot and killed," Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said.
Swanson is part of a coalition that wants to save innocent creatures through the so-called "Protect MI Pet" ballot initiative.
If enough signatures are collected, Michiganders would decide whether they'd like to see the creation of a statewide, searchable registry of convicted animal abusers in the 2024 presidential election.
The registry would be open so animal shelters, rescues, law enforcement, breeders and the public could see it.
"The registry would function a lot like the sex offender registry, we're working with the different, interested or shareholders, we'll say, involvement with how that would be enforced, but it will be public. It would be something just like the sex offender registry, where you can type it in and see it. Now, obviously, we have to be mindful of people's privacy and things like that, which is why we're going to require some tweaking," said Alena Clark, assistant Genesee County prosecutor.
The initiative also seeks to decrease the amount of time seized animals must spend in a shelter while legal cases play out in the courts.
"People go oh, yeah, well, they're safe in a shelter. They are safe in a shelter. But animals need to be in homes, they've been domesticated. And if they're domesticated, they need to be with people all the time, they need to have actual activities that are natural to them," said Deborah Schutt, chair of Michigan Pet Alliance.
The Michigan Pet Alliance is hosting a virtual roundtable at 6 p.m. Monday to explain the proposal and answer any questions from the public.
To register for the virtual roundtable, visit here.
Organizers of the proposed ballot initiative are planning to hold a rally on April 11 at the State Capitol in Lansing. April 11 is also National Pet Day.
