The Herald Sun are running a really important story about the WAR ON DOG OBESITY:

Victorian RSPCA head push for tougher penalties for people who fail to walk their dogs

OWNERS who don’t walk their dogs at least once a day could be punished under new animal welfare laws proposed by the head of the Victorian RSPCA.

Under Dr Hugh Wirth’s plan, cat and dog owners who do not care for their pets properly could face fines of up to $12,000 for animal cruelty, and even jail in extreme cases.

…

What the cunting fuck?

Is Hugh Wirth batshit insane?

The answer is yes. As evidence, I offer the following article from The Age in late November:

Call for cat shooter and mayor to be sacked

A COUNCIL officer who shot six kittens and cats in an animal shelter should be sacked immediately and the mayor should go too for defending him, the RSPCA says.

Mildura Council has defended the shooting of the six cats shortly after they were dropped at the shelter last week, saying they were feral and unable to be controlled.

But RSPCA president Hugh Wirth says the shootings are indefensible acts of cruelty and an animal should only ever be shot in an emergency situation, if it is suffering and needs to be put down immediately.

”This was not an emergency situation,” Dr Wirth said. ”I’m completely outraged.”

The Mildura shelter had a vet available to administer lethal injections and with training in dealing with feral cats, ”if in fact that’s what they were”, Dr Wirth said.

…

A lethal injection would render a cat unconscious within about two seconds, while a gunshot could leave the animal suffering in pain for hours, he said.

See, I’m right.

Something tells me that a bullet through the fucking head is going to kill the cat just as efficiently as an injection would have done. I’m really struggling to see how that would leave the thing suffering for hours.

Now, back to the first article. I can see a number of issues here. If we put aside the fact that I support mandatory euthanasia for anyone over the age of 60, how do we factor in things such as an elderly person living alone with just a pet dog? Especially if that person is not in a position to walk a dog on a daily basis, but say only 2 or 3 times a week? As long as the dog gets fed and watered each day and has a yard to run around in, what’s the fucking problem? The same can be said for other pets in a normal family environment. Not walking a fucking dog each day does not form the basis for neglect.

A 15-year-old girl going by the name of Jane Cahir is quoted in the article, and sums up my argument nicely:

High school student Jane Cahir, 15, of Rosanna, regularly walks her dog Clive. But she believes it would be difficult to catch bad owners.

“There’s a big difference between not looking after your dog and not taking your dog for a walk,” Jane said.

I put it out there that Hugh Wirth is the one who needs a bullet through the fucking head. And a lethal injection as well just to be sure.

Also, someone at the Herald Sun fucked up: