Can a defendant be found guilty of gross negligence under section 597(b) of the California Code of Civil Procedure for animal cruelty?

grossly negligent conduct that exposes them to a risk of death. (See Speegle, supra, 53 Cal.App.4th at pp. 1412-1413; People v. Youngblood (2001) 91 Cal.App.4th 66, 70.) In this regard, we emphasize that the risk of great bodily injury to an animal created by the allegedly culpable conduct of the defendant must be a high risk. Stated differently, the risk of great bodily injury to the cared-for animal created by the defendant's alleged gross negligence, in order to support a conviction for animal cruelty or animal neglect under section 597(b), must be a high risk.