Two recognized for establishing livestock rescue shelter
Deschutes County Oregon -- 2/17/2011 --
LOCAL LAWMEN RANK AMONG AMERICA’S “TOP TEN ANIMAL DEFENDERS”
Deschutes County’s Sheriff Larry Blanton and Lieutenant Shane Nelson Honored during National Justice for Animals Week 2011
For immediate release:
February 17, 2011
Contact:
Lisa Franzetta: 707-795-2533, ext. 1015 (office); 415-203-5472 (mobile); lfranzetta@aldf.org
Megan Backus: 707-795-2533, ext. 1010
SAN FRANCISCO –Deschutes County’s Sheriff Larry Blanton and Lieutenant Shane Nelson are being named two of America’s Top Ten Animal Defenders by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) during National Justice for Animals Week 2011, February 20 – 26. The week is an annual event dedicated to raising awareness nationwide about how citizens can work within their communities to achieve real justice for animal victims--and honoring law enforcement, prosecutors, and legislators who give real teeth to laws protecting animals.
Why are America’s animals lucky to have Blanton and Nelson on their side? In an unprecedented move, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office created a livestock rescue and shelter as part of a comprehensive strategy to care for the county’s neglected, abused, and abandoned large animals seized in criminal cruelty cases. Blanton and Nelson’s efforts set a gold standard model for county sheriffs when it comes to seeking justice for abused farmed animals. In December, the office was awarded a $3900 grant from ALDF to assist with the care of the county’s seized livestock.
The livestock rescue is a 23-acre property owned by Deschutes County. All areas where livestock are kept have water, electricity and shelters with a larger barn that is used for animals with special needs. Since the ranch has been open, the facility has cared for horses, cattle, goats, sheep, potbellied pig, geese, chickens and an emu.
Among the other top animal defenders being recognized this year by the Animal Legal Defense Fund are:
Suffolk County, New York Legislator Jon Cooper, who sponsored the historic “Justin’s Law,” passed by a unanimous vote last October, which creates the nation’s first mandatory public registry for criminals convicted of animal abuse;
Tannaz Kouhpainezhad, a Los Angeles prosecutor who went after an abuser who tortured two Schnauzers to death and was caught by police when neighbors reported hearing whimpering from inside his home. The conviction of the abuser was upheld on appeal in the first case of its kind in the nation, when the Court agreed with Tannaz’s argument that law enforcement can legally enter a residence without a warrant to aid an animal;
Joshua Crain, who sought felony charges in a jury trial in Tennessee against a man who, after his 2-year-old Siberian Husky chewed on some wiring in his home, beat him and then used a metal file to grind down the dog’s teeth;
Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Susan Dannelly, who, while known for taking on high-profile murder and rape cases, fought hard to see to it that a dogfighting kingpin who organized a fight in which at least seven pit bulls died was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
“Animal victims of abuse cannot speak for themselves—so concerned citizens and our legal system must speak up for them,” says ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells. “Sheriff Blanton and Lieutenant Nelson have gone above and beyond in earning a place among America’s Top Ten Animal Defenders during National Justice for Animals Week 2011.”
ALDF was founded in 1979 with the unique mission of protecting the lives and advancing interests of animals through the legal system. ALDF’s Criminal Justice Program provides free legal assistance—including legal research and strategy suggestions, location of expert witnesses, and sample pleadings—to prosecutors handling cruelty cases and works to strengthen state anti-cruelty legislation.
To arrange interviews, please contact Lisa Franzetta at lfranzetta@aldf.org, or at 707-795-2533, x1015. For more information about National Justice for Animals Week and the full list of America’s Top Ten Animal Defenders, please visit www.aldf.org. ##
