Jeff Callaway sat at the desk, facing the panel of lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning — with his dog, Ethan, by his side.
"He looks very happy, healthy, chewing on his bone right now, but that's a far cry from how his life began," Callaway said, detailing the "unbelievably hellish he had to endure."
Ethan went on to be abused, mistreated, starved, and eventually abandoned in a parking lot on a cold January day. The backers of House Bill 258 hope it might prevent other dogs and cats from suffering the same kind of treatment.
Under the measure, new definitions for "serious physical injury," "infirmity," and "torture" would become law. That torture would also amount to a Class D felony in every case. Currently the first offense is a misdemeanor.
Kentucky has consistently lagged far behind in animal protection laws, ranking in the bottom five of a2023 state-ranking by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
