Animal Cruelty

SYRACUSE — Maintaining she is on solid legal ground, Councilwoman Karianne Lisonbee has refused to recuse herself from discussions about changes in the city’s animal ordinance.

In a work session Tuesday, the first-term councilwoman stuck by her guns in defending her attendance at a Feb. 21 planning commission meeting, at which she offered input on language in the city’s ordinance relating to potential abuse of animals.

SYRACUSE — City Councilwoman Karianne Lisonbee, by offering instruction to the planning commission on how to construct a city animal ordinance, has raised ethical questions with the city’s legal staff.

While attending a Feb. 21 planning commission meeting, Lisonbee instructed the commission on how to construct language and definitions in the city’s animal ordinance as it relates to the harvesting of animals versus animal abuse, according to Mayor Jamie Nagle.

“Rather than wait for it (the proposed ordinance) to come to the council, she is going to the planning commission telling them how it has to be written. And she is telling them in a public meeting,” Nagle said.

CLEARFIELD — The next time Jana Taylor takes her dog for a walk in the park, she plans to carry pepper spray and her cellphone. Those two precautions, she said, may help her catch whoever is responsible for decapitating cats.

SALT LAKE CITY -- A Salt Lake City woman wants to know why someone laced meatballs with aspirin that poisoned her dog.

WEST JORDAN -- A 42-year-old Sandy man has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge amid accusations he stomped his girlfriend's Pomeranian puppy to death.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Some employees at the Memphis Animal Shelter had ties to dog-fighting rings and operated outside city rules and procedures, according to a study of shelter operations conducted by the Memphis Rotary Club.