Regarding the story on Misty Marie Lambert (“Woman accused of neglecting horses previously charged for endangering dog,” July 27), her story is a perfect example of why we need an animal abuse registry. It should be set up like a sex offender registry so they could be subject to checks ensuring they are not keeping any animals. They should be banned from owning any animals without periodic inspections. If a registry was online, animal shelters could do a check before adopting out pets.
People selling on Craigslist and from private parties would be able to check on potential buyers as well.
There is just no excuse for neglecting or harming an animal. If you cannot care for a pet simply call animal control to come and get them, or drop them off in their drop box.
Heidi McElroy
Los Osos
This article appears in Aug 3-13, 2017.
Two weeks into the Trump Administration, thousands of documents detailing animal welfare violations nationwide were removed from the USDA website, which has been posting them publicly for decades. These are the inspection records and annual reports for every commercial animal facility in the U.S.including zoos, breeders, factory farms, and laboratories.
These records have revealed many cases of abuse and mistreatment of animals, incidents that, if the reports had not been publicly posted, would likely have remained hidden. This action plunges journalists, animal welfare organizations, and the public at large into the dark about animal welfare at facilities across the country. The records document violations of the Animal Welfare Act, the federal law that regulates treatment of animals used for research and exhibition. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which has maintained the online database, cites privacy concerns as justification for the removal.
Now, the documents will be accessible only via official requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.