Ryan and Tracy MacDonald, residents of the Woodmen Hills community, heard their cat, Phoenix, howling outside their home. They rushed out and found that Phoenix had been shot with a BB gun or an airsoft-type pellet gun. He died in his familyís arms.Tracy MacDonald said Phoenix was 13 years old last September; her husband had adopted him from a shelter when he was a kitten. The MacDonalds have lived in the community for 10 years, and Phoenix has always been an inside/outside cat. Finding the family cat shot in her neighborhood has greatly affected the family. ìIt almost feels like a hate crime to me,î Tracy MacDonald said. After speaking with many of her neighbors to warn them of potential harm to their pets, she was surprised at the number of people who didnít like cats or said they would shoot the cat if it wandered into their yard.The neighbors might want to think twice about that.Joe Stafford, director of Animal Law Enforcement at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, said shooting a pet is a Class 6 felony, and the perpetrator could get as much as 18 months for the crime. “It is considered a felony and not a misdemeanor because of the state of mind that accompanies such a crime,î Stafford said. †ìIt is inhumane and about as bad as it gets. We take pet shootings very seriously. †I know the district attorney also takes them very seriously. †We do a thorough investigation.”To avoid a felony conviction, perhaps the perpetrator should communicate with the cat owner before shooting it!ìNot once in 10 years did a neighbor have a conversation with me saying they did not like my cat in their yard or they had a problem with my cat,î MacDonald said.”A lot can be done to resolve pet conflicts. We spend the majority of our time doing just that,î Stafford said. ìOur website (http://hsppr.org) has a lot of information and tips on what you can do if a pet is bothering you.†There are certain scents you can put on your yard to discourage animals from coming in. †Cats smell them and perceive a threat, so they stay away.”Cats and dogs are domesticated animals ñ shooting them is neither fair nor a sport. Pets become part of the family. ìYou miss the noises they make,î MacDonald said. ìPhoenix used to sleep on our feet every night. You wake up with them.îBecause itís outside of the humane societyís jurisdiction, the sheriffís office will respond to animal abuse reports. Regardless of the law enforcement agency, the felony remains.According to M.L. Randourís 2008 study, ìWhat We Know About the Link Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence,î the connection has been inarguably determined. Randour in his studies found that ìmen who abused animals were five times more likely to have been arrested for violence towards humans, four times more likely to have committed property crimes, and three times more likely to have records for drug and disorderly conduct offenses.îIf the community wants safe neighborhoods and schools, it is imperative that people report an animal abuse situation to the proper authorities. In Falcon, that would be the sheriffís department.
