Animal cruelty protester charged with mischief

A man who protested an animal cruelty case outside an Albertacourthouse has been charged with mischief.

RCMP announced the charge Wednesday, saying the 34-year-old protester was amongpeople whosurrounded a vanthat picked up Daniel Charles Haskett after heleft the Didsbury courthouse Monday.

Plainclothes officers watched as theprotester kicked the van, police say.

As many as 100 people, some with dogs,protested in Didsbury, north ofCalgary,as Haskett made his court appearance.

Dog duct taped, dragged

Haskett and a 17-year-old were charged with animal cruelty after a badly beaten dog named Daisy Duke a cross between a Labrador retriever and collie was found bleeding in Didsbury last month.

The dog had duct tape around her muzzle, and front and rear legs, according to Didsbury RCMP. She also had a tow rope around her neck and was likely dragged behind a vehicle for three blocks, police said.

Daisy Duke was wounded so severely thata veterinarian had to put her down.

Haskett has also been charged with obstructing justice.

MP supports strongerlegislation

The case inspired Didsbury resident Tamara Chaney to organize a cross-Canada petition calling for more serious penalties in animal cruelty cases.

A maximum of six months in jail ora $2,000 fine is not strong enough punishment, she says.

She plans to give her petition to localMP Myron Thompson.

Heexpects a bill that would increase the penalty to five years in jail or a $10,000 fine to easily pass into law.

Thompson says the legislation had political support, but was shelved because of the last election.

"The punishment should match the crime, and right now we don't have in the laws the kind of punishment that crime deserves," he said Tuesday.