Pooch in pain due to fishhook

A less-than-one-year-old dog named “Bambi” endured three days of excruciating pain before finally managing to get rid of a tuna fish hook that got stuck on her lip Thursday.

The dog’s owner, Rafaela Perry, said she found her dog shaking her head in pain to try to remove the hook from her mouth five days ago. Perry said she sought the help of neighbors and one of them, a fisherman, identified the hook as a tuna fish hook.

She said they tried to help get rid of the hook but needed an expert to get it off.

Perry said Bambi was scheduled for a veterinary check up today and also to get rid of the hook, but when a friend supposedly tried to get the hook off Bambi’s mouth yesterday, they found out that the hook was already gone. Nonetheless, Bambi would still have her check up today for precaution.

Perry had called the Saipan Tribune yesterday to get the number of PAWS.

PAWS, a non-profit organization established in March 1993, is dedicated to the health, care, welfare, and population control of cats and dogs in the CNMI and to the education of the public on animal care and rights.

Bambi is among four female dogs Perry is keeping at her home at Chalan Kiya.

Perry believes that somebody intentionally hooked her dog. She refused to believe that Bambi might have eaten something, which caused the huge hook to get lodged in her mouth. “Somebody did this to her,” she said.

A bill that seeks to criminalize cruelty to animals is now pending at the Senate after getting the nod of the House of Representatives last September. Also known as the Animal Protection Act of 2004, the bill provides a maximum jail term of five years to violators.

The bill, which is still with a Senate committee, seeks to amend the Commonwealth Code to include new provisions penalizing animal cruelty.

“Any person who intentionally inflicts severe or prolonged pain or suffering on an animal, or who recklessly neglects an animal and as a result of that neglect, causes its death or causes severe pain or suffering to the animal, is guilty of a misdemeanor,” it states.

Offenders face a prison term of not more than one year, or a maximum fine of $500, or both. The bill sought to impose stricter penalties for those who intentionally injure or kill any animal while it is in the performance of its duties under the supervision of a law enforcement officer.

Such an offense would be classified as a felony, which would entail a maximum prison term of five years, fine ranging from $500 to $5,000, or both. House minority leader Rep. Heinz Hofschneider introduced the bill.