Animal Welfare Project Assists in Guilty Plea for Double-Decking
Equestrian News Release
Valley Forge, PA -- The Animal Welfare Project is a new 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in southeast Pennsylvania, whose main mission is the professional re-training of homeless horses and dogs, in order to adopt them into new careers. Future careers will include pets, sporting competitors, and community service animals. Other missions include animal awareness education, promoting legislation for the improvement of animal welfare, and the badging of additional Humane Police Officers. The Animal Welfare Project is further committed to open space and trail preservation.
After an illegal double-decking incident occurred in their area, the Animal Welfare Project received a request from their District Attorney’s office to provide expertise regarding the legal proceeding. Just this week, a guilty plea for animal cruelty has been announced, marking the first time a rodeo operator has been charged and convicted in the United States. The imposed fines are also the highest recorded in Pennsylvania so far, utilizing this cruelty statute.
The charges involved a rodeo contractor and a 2nd driver, who were caught double-decking horses (in trailers designed for cattle, hogs, and other small farm animals). Both pled guilty to a total of 36 counts of animal cruelty charges, paying nearly $5,000 in fines and costs.
Double-deckers are notorious for their low ceilings, slick floors, steep ramps, and narrow doors. They are also notorious for flipping over, due to their center of balance being exceedingly high once loaded.
This conviction is a landmark case for horsemen in Pennsylvania, who have fought the agriculture community for years to put a stop to the cruelty of double-decking horses inside cattle trucks. The law itself, collectively called the “Pennsylvania Horse Transport Law,” is highly regarded as the strongest in the nation. It is a popular law against horse abuse, and also well-known and embraced by horsemen in all disciplines.
Pennsylvania horsemen formally gathered in 1998, calling for Public Hearings. Some thirty five (35) equine organizations, including those at the national level, signed support on their letterheads. Thousands of horsemen signed petitions. Attended by a large media gathering, the hearings were held in Gettysburg.
The founder of the Animal Welfare Project, other professional horsemen, veterinarians, haulers, and State Police then testified and demonstrated double-decking was cruel to horses of all sizes. Legislators agreed, and the House and Senate unanimously passed “ACT 64 of 2001” (the Pennsylvania Horse Transport Law).
NOTE: Because a knowledgeable citizen first noticed the rodeo horses being hauled inside double-deckers and it resulted in this cruelty conviction, the public is encouraged to continue to keep their eyes open whenever they pass double-deckers on the highway. “Transport Law Cards” and specific information regarding other state laws can be obtained from the Equine Protection Network and Large Animal Protection Society, both in Pennsylvania.
Nine (9) states have some form of regulation regarding double-deckers, with four (4) states prohibiting them entirely.
Regulate somewhat: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Virginia.
Prohibit: New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont.
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