A Lebanon County woman says if you sign her petition, animal abusers could face penalties they deserve. She created a petition in response to a story we aired about a man accused of abusing his dog. A judge ruled the man, Russell Seese, of the Poconos, can still own animals.
Jenna Horn, 24, is a dog lover who promises to provide her puppy, Jax, with happiness. She says, “He’s my everything. I treat him a like a child.”
Jenna also wants to give other animals a chance to live safely. She says, “If you don’t want to take care of a pet the way you should, you shouldn’t get one.”
And she’s proving her point by collecting signatures from people who disapprove of animal abuse. In her petition, she hopes to collect as many signatures to persuade lawmakers to pass a law that would prohibit people convicted of animal abuse of ever owning or caring for an animal again.
Jenna says, “And they repeat they cycle because there’s nothing really effecting them.”
Representative Kevin Schreiber, of York County, says, “There are issues and some people are bad people who just do this.”
Rep. Schreiber says abuse is happening throughout the Commonwealth and Jenna’s petition is timely.
He says, “A groundswell of public opinion can shift any elected official’s mindset, or at least raise awareness. Not just a slap on the wrist and a fine. Maybe a misdemeanor, felony, maybe an animal registry.”