Animal cruelty bills die

HILO — A trio of bills which would have bolstered Hawaii’s animal cruelty laws are dead.

Senate Bills 2263, 2273 and 2270, introduced by state Sen. Russell Ruderman, never received a hearing. Friday was the deadline for bills to be submitted for a third reading before crossing over next week to the other chamber.

“Of course we’re disappointed,” Ruderman said Friday. “(The bills) didn’t get any discussion at all. I thought at least the canine meat one would get a hearing … I thought it would have moved a little, I don’t see why not. So I’m disappointed.”

Ruderman, a Democrat who represents Puna, had introduced the bills upon request from his friend Jane Wiedlin, who is a member of the popular 1980s rock band The Go-Go’s. Wiedlin previously told the Tribune-Herald she’s a lifelong animal lover who fosters with a local rescue group. She moved to Hawaii Island last summer and wanted to address what she believed to be various animal cruelty issues in the state, such as dog meat consumption.

One of the bills would have prohibited slaughtering or raising dogs for human consumption, and amended the definition of “pet animal” to include all dogs, rather that dogs specifically “not bred for consumption.” Another would have required completion of a training course in order to become an animal control officer, and the third outlined various guidelines related to dog ownership, such as kennel and tethering restrictions.

“Most people have not ever thought about just how awful it is to be put on a heavy, short chain in the sun or in the rain and attacked by fire ants,” Wiedlin previously told the Tribune-Herald. “I think we need to change our mindset about dogs in particular. They’re not objects, we own them, they are ohana and … I think at the very least, each dog should live in a well-fenced yard and out of the elements.”

Efforts to reach Wiedlin for comment on Friday were unsuccessful.