Last year, the cuddly terrier-Chihuahua mix became the poster animal in a decade-long attempt to make animal torture a felony in Utah, one of just seven states where the offense, shockingly, remains a misdemeanor.

Henry was chased through the yard, blinded with a leaf blower and baked in an oven by his owner. He suffered serious burns. Lost an eye. His toes were fused together.

This year, Sadie is the face of animal cruelty in Utah. Lured to a fence and stabbed in the snout by a neighbor, the 5-year-old pointer lay at the feet of her owners while a Senate committee approved a watered-down version of Henry's Law last week.

Senate Bill 117, sponsored by Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, would make animal torture a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, but only if a second offense is committed within a five-year span. A first offense would remain a misdemeanor, and recent history tells us that's not deterrent enough.

Last year was another bad year for innocent animals in Utah, as the senseless slaughter and sick torture continued. Unhappy archery hunters shot nine cows with arrows. A litter of puppies was thrown in a Dumpster to die. A horse was riddled with bullets. Just last week, two pet dogs were shot dead in their yards along the Wasatch Front.

Christensen, defending his soft bill, claimed he's trying to temper an "emotional issue with some common sense." But common sense, research and public opinion say a weak law simply doesn't work.

A poll conducted by The Salt Lake Tribune shows that two-thirds of Utahns support passage of Henry's Law. And studies of domestic violence victims and offenders, conducted in prisons and at shelters for abused women, show that people who abuse animals often abuse people. A stiffer penalty may get perpetrators off the streets and into treatment before they harm humans.

There's another bill, a better animal torture bill, in the legislative basket. But Senate Bill 102, sponsored by Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, has been held in committee while Christensen's slap-on-the-wrist legislation moves forward. Legislative leaders need to reverse the order, and run the strong bill first.

SB102 would make the torture of an animal a third-degree felony on the first offense. It would give animals the protection they need and animal torturers the punishment they deserve. And it would make Henry's day.