Virginia Senator Kills Dog Bill

February 3, 2001 Richmond, Virginia, USA

Explain this: in Virginia it is a felony to steal a dog but not to kill one.  This thought has been foremost on the minds of T-Bone's owners since the death of the white, spotted hound dog last year.  T-Bone had been shot in the head by a neighbor, prosecutors say.

When Owners Jeff and Renee Fulcher learned that the accused man (who has pleaded no contest to destroying private property) may only pay a small fine, they were outraged.  But in the months that followed, they found a sympathetic ear in Congress, and Senator Roscoe Reynolds of Henry County (email Senator Reynolds) introduced SB 897 which would make pet killing a felony.

In a contrary and unexplained gesture, Senator Nick Rerras of Norfolk (email Senator Rerras) on Friday moved the bill from the Senate floor back to the Committee on Local Government, effectively killing it.  Senator Rerras left the assembly before he could be asked for further comment.

Read the follow-up story February 17

§§§

^Articles