January 1, 2018
By: Emily Malhiot
In March 2011, homeowners in Sacramento, California, returned home to find their tenant Robert Edward De Shields, who was confined to a wheelchair, holding their terrified eight-month-old Chihuahua named Shadow.1 The next day, the homeowners walked into their garage to again find De Shields and Shadow, * J.D. Candidate, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, to be conferred May 2019; B.A., History, Franciscan University of Steubenville, 2015. I would like to thank my Primary Editor Kelci Binau and the entire Law Review staff for their support and guidance throughout this process. I would also like to thank my parents, Patty and Kirk, and brother Kevin for giving me the opportunity to follow my dreams and for their encouragement in doing things I never thought I could do. And lastly, to all my family and friends for their constant love, support, and encouragement. 1.Man Who Sexually Assaulted Chihuahua Gets 10-Year Sentence, L.A. NOW (Dec. 24, 2011, 8:31 AM), http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/man-convicted-sexual-assault-chihuahua.html (on file with The University of the Pacific Law Review). 2018 / Penal 556 who was “almost lifeless, in pain and in shock.”2 A veterinary examination revealed “severe injuries to [Shadow]’s rectum and internal organs,” as well as traces of asphyxiation.3 De Shields was under the influence of methamphetamine when he attacked Shadow.4 De Shields, “who has been in and out of prison since 1992,”5 received in 2011 a ten-year prison sentence for choking and sexually assaulting Shadow.6 “In an unusual move for an animal cruelty case,” the court required De Shields to “register as a lifetime sex offender.”7
