Dear islanders,

In light of the dog torture case now before our court, we have formed Citizens for Protection of Animals (CPA). The purpose is to be a collective voice for animals in the event one might need it.

Our purpose is to make the public aware in the event a cruelty, torture or wrongful death case is brought to our attention, either through the sheriff or the Animal Protection Society. We might need your signature on a petition or ask if you have the time to be in court.

Last week, there were approximately 40 people who showed up in support of Chimay, the dog whose throat was slit (among other serious wounds). In addition, a petition with hundreds of signatures said in essence that we will not tolerate a slap on the wrist if the defendant is convicted and that the maximum sentence should be imposed. This was a very strong message to the Prosecutor’s Office.

An allegation has been made that someone in the justice system made the statement “It’s only a dog,” in reference to this case. Whether or not that was said, we’re here to make sure that no person convicted of such a sickening crime as torture or cruelty to an animal slips through the cracks in our court.

We care deeply about justice for people. But who will speak for the voiceless animal? We will.

If you would like to be informed of the progress in the Wilcox case, please e-mail Jaime Ellsworth, cpasj@gmail.com, and your name will go on the CPA mailing list. If you wish to forward this request to someone on your mailing list, please do so.

Thank you for reading this.

Claudia La Cava
Mike Macdonald
San Juan Island
macdonald@rockisland.com