A new law proposed in reaction to the death two years ago of a malnourished and cold Douglas County horse will get a hearing Wednesday in the Wisconsin Assembly.
The nine-month-old colt made national news when he was found covered in ice and snow and unable to stand in the wind chill as low as 55 degrees below zero. The colt, nicknamed WindChill, attracted an outpouring of care and support but died 20 days later.
Since then a grassroots organization formed in honor of the colt, The WindChill Legacy, has been working toward reforming Wisconsin's statutes dealing with crimes against animals.
Over the last year, the group has been working with Rep. Nick Milroy, D-Superior, to draft legislative proposal Assembly Bill 747. "Windchill's Law" will be the subject of a public hearing today in the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice.
The proposed legislation increases criminal penalties for committing crimes against animals in front of a minor child or causing a child to mistreat an animal.
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"Children who are subjected to watching their family members abuse their pets are scarred for life, mentally, and often victims of child abuse themselves," said Kathi Tucker, president of Windchill Legacy. "They are also more likely to grow up and abuse their families and pets. We are doing what we can to stop this cycle of abuse."
Under the proposed law, a sentencing court may order an offender to undergo a psychological assessment and participate in anger management, psychological counseling or treatment.
"Locking up animal abusers will serve as a deterrent to this appalling behavior and the option of treatment will hopefully decrease the rates of recidivism," Milroy said.
The proposal also seeks to close a loophole in current law. Currently it's difficult to charge animal owners who fail to prevent unnecessary pain or suffering. Recently a case was referred to the Douglas County District Attorney's office involving a dog hit by a vehicle. The owners allegedly refused to treat the injuries, euthanize or surrender their pet. The dog suffered for nearly a week before it was confiscated by the local animal control officer.
"We couldn't charge the owners with animal abuse because of the way the current statutes read," said Assistant District Attorney Lance Nelsen. "Changing the law to include failing to prevent excessive pain or suffering will enable us to prosecute irresponsible pet owners."
The public hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Room 412 of the State Capitol while the Superior Days delegation is in Madison.
