‘Ethan the Dog Who Lived’ reminds us Ky’s animal protection laws need an upgrade.
If they’d dumped him just one hour later, Ethan would be dead.
It came dangerously close. Someone dumped the brindle pup in the Kentucky Humane Society in Louisville at noon on Jan. 29. The veterinarians weren’t even sure he’d make it through the night.
Instead, Ethan became the Dog Who Lived. He’s put on 20-plus pounds already and is able to walk without assistance.
“He is truly a miracle,” said Andrea Blair, PR and marketing director for the Kentucky Humane Society. “We’re astounded at how much he is improving by the hour, he’s gaining weight every day.”
Officials think Ethan might be three or four years old, but at some point, he’d been confined in a crate and left to starve. When he arrived he had not one ounce of muscle or fat, and he was covered in urine and feces, which had caused burns on his back legs.
He’ll probably go to a foster home next week, and possibly be adopted some time after that. Ethan has become a magnet of love and dollars, and is now the spokesdog of new efforts to toughen up Kentucky’s animal protection laws.
In the past few years, Kentucky has made a little headway — from 50th in the nation to 47th— in the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s annual rankings because we outlawed sex with animals. That’s right, we took a bold step in making bestiality illegal in 2019. We’ve also ended our distinction of being the only state that forbade veterinarians from reporting suspected animals abuse.
Rep. Chris Freeland, R-Benton, has been working on legislation since last year to upgrade and expand the definition of the torture of cats and dogs, making all such offenses a Class D felony the first time. Torture would include neglect and when a pet is abandoned and restrained as Ethan was. House Bill 57 is getting a lot more traction, thanks to Ethan, and has 40 co-sponsors from both parties.
“It’s funny, you have a bill that’s full of legal language it doesn’t resonate with people,” Freeland told me. “Then a story like Ethan comes around, and you see exactly why this legislation is needed. We want this bill to prevent what happened to Ethan from happening to others.”
Kentucky lagged behind the rest of the country for many years, said Animal Legal Defense Fund Staff Attorney Kathleen Wood. “In the past few years there’s been some real improvement, with criminalizing bestiality and permitting veterinarians to report suspected cruelty, but Kentucky still has a long way to go before all species are adequately protected under the law,” she said.
Animal torture needs harsher deterrents for the sake of the animals, but also because people who torture animals can end up torturing humans, too.
“Someone who’s capable of doing this to a pet is capable of doing a lot of horrible things to other victims, like a helpless spouse or an innocent child,” Freeland said. The bill does not affect agricultural animals or hunting so should not attract the ire of heavy hitters like the Kentucky Farm Bureau.
Kentucky still needs to upgrade other animal protection laws, like stronger penalties against cockfighting, said Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit. But Irby thinks that our attitudes toward animals are slowly evolving, which makes better laws possible.
“I do see a tremendous shift going on and I think it’s generational,” Irby said. “I see more and more people eat less meat, more people rescuing dogs, rather than buying them from breeders and more people becoming more outspoken about animal cruelty in Kentucky and elsewhere. There is a generational shift occurring and it’s for betterment of animals.”
Certainly that’s true in Ethan’s case, where people have sent tens of thousands of dollars for his care, and follow the Humane Society’s daily updates on his health. People are so curious about his breeding that officials are doing a DNA test to determine whether he might be part Great Dane, or even a Cane Corso, a rare Italian mastiff.
“We want to assure people the money is being used to make sure Ethan gets better, but it’s also helping other shelter animals that don’t get this kind of recognition,” Blair said.
The pandemic has also brought people closer to their pets, and has spurred new levels of adoption from shelters around the state.
“It’s been amazing to see how many people are rallying behind Ethan,” Blair said. “During these dark months of winter, he’s giving so many people something to be hopeful for. That’s why he’s captured so many people’s hearts because he’s a symbol of hope.”
But Blair hopes Ethan will encourage people to donate to or visit local shelters. “There are hundreds of animals right now who are just as deserving of homes as Ethan is.”
Something else to do? Call your local legislator and tell them to support House Bill 57.
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 2:04 PM.
