By Peggy Lowe, Rocky Mountain News
February 15, 2003
A downcast and chastened Rep. Mark Cloer on Friday killed his own bill that would have made Colorado's pets "companions" under the law.
The measure was misrepresented by opponents, blasted by veterinarians and ridiculed by the national media, Cloer said, leaving him no other option.
The plan was actually aimed at empowering owners to sue for abuse or poor health care involving their animals, said Cloer, R-Colorado Springs.
"The bill's intent was not to give animals special status," Cloer said. "The bill itself gave the rights to the owners so the owners could seek civil remedies."
But Cloer faced even more fury after he killed the bill. The bill's co-sponsor, Sen. Ken Chlouber, R-Leadville, shouted at Cloer that he was taking a lot of flak, too, but that's how it goes on controversial bills.
"I said, 'Don't ever ask me to carry one of your bills again if you don't have the courage to carry the bill to the end,' " Chlouber said. "Sometimes you get your butt kicked, but you fight for what you believe in."
Chlouber, who lost his two beloved Labradors in the past few months, said he likes the idea of defining pets as something other than property, which is how they are classified under Colorado law now.
Cloer's bill would have recognized pets as companions and allowed owners to collect up to $100,000 for animal cruelty and negligent health care. Current law allows owners to receive fair market value up to $500.
The bill was opposed by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, the American Humane Society and the Colorado Federation of Animal Welfare Agencies.
Those groups worried that the bill would increase the cost of veterinary care, causing people to seek less treatment for their cats and dogs. It would have also created many legal issues for shelters, they said.
"It's ironic," said Martha Smith of the Animal Welfare Agencies. "All of us believe that pets are more than simple property to the people who own them."
Cloer introduced the bill at the urging of a group of animal lovers who believe that vets over-vaccinate Colorado's 2.1 million pets, causing cancers and other illnesses.
There are "enormous complexities" surrounding that issue and studies are being done, said Dr. Ted Cohn of the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association. Vaccinations are used to not only protect the health of animals, but also to protect the public, he said.
"Vaccines are certainly potent medicine," Cohn said. "But they have produced far more good than harm."
(From http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/legislature/article/0,1299,DRMN_37_1747164,00.html)