Post animal abusers online for the world to see. This will allow anyone to search a name to keep animals away from the abusers! Post name, video, photos and story so the abuser knows that they are exposed!
The shocking number of animal cruelty cases reported every day is just the tip of the iceberg—most cases are never reported. Unlike violent crimes against people, cases of animal abuse are not compiled by state or federal agencies, making it difficult to calculate just how common they are. However, we can use the information that is available to try to understand and prevent cases of abuse.
Who abuses animals?
Cruelty and neglect cross all social and economic boundaries and media reports suggest that animal abuse is common in both rural and urban areas.
- Intentional cruelty to animals is strongly correlated with other crimes, including violence against people.
- Hoarding behavior often victimizes animals. Sufferers of a hoarding disorder may impose severe neglect on animals by housing far more than they are able to adequately take care of. Serious animal neglect (such as hoarding) is often an indicator of people in need of social or mental health services.
- Surveys suggest that those who intentionally abuse animals are predominantly men under 30, while those involved in animal hoarding are more likely to be women over 60.
Most common victims
The animals whose abuse is most often reported are dogs, cats, horses and livestock. Undercover investigations have revealed that animal abuse abounds in the factory farm industry. But because of the weak protections afforded to livestock under state cruelty laws, only the most shocking cases are reported, and few are ever prosecuted.
Organized cruelty
Dogfighting, cockfighting and other forms of organized animal cruelty go hand in hand with other crimes, and continues in many areas of the United States due to public corruption.
- The HSUS documented uniformed police officers at a cockfighting pit in Kentucky.
- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has prosecuted multiple cases where drug cartels were running narcotics through cockfighting and dogfighting operations.
- Dozens of homicides have occurred at cockfights and dogfights.
- A California man was killed in a disagreement about a $10 cockfight bet.
The HSUS’s investigative team combats complacent public officials and has worked with the FBI on public corruption cases in Tennessee and Virginia. In both instances, law enforcement officers were indicted and convicted.
Correlation with domestic violence
Data on domestic violence and child abuse cases reveal that a staggering number of animals are targeted by those who abuse their children or spouses.
- There are approximately 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats in the U.S. where 20 men and women are assaulted per minute (an average of around 10 million a year).
- In one survey, 71 % of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets.
- In one study of families under investigation for suspected child abuse, researchers found that pet abuse had occurred in 88 % of the families under supervision for physical abuse of their children.
To put a stop to this pattern of violence, the Humane Society Legislative Fund supported the Pets and Women’s Safety (PAWS) Act, introduced to Congress in 2015 as H.R. 1258 and S.B. 1559 and enacted as part of the farm bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in 2018. Once fully enacted, the PAWS Act helps victims of domestic abuse find the means to escape their abusers while keeping their companion animals safe—many victims remain in abusive households for fear of their pets’ safety.
State legislative trends
The HSUS has long led the push for stronger animal cruelty laws and provides training for law officials to detect and prosecute these crimes. With South Dakota joining the fight in March of 2014, animal cruelty laws now include felony provisions in all 50 states.
First vs. subsequent offense
Given that a fraction of animal cruelty acts are reported or successfully prosecuted, we are committed to supporting felony convictions in cases of severe cruelty.
- 49 states have laws to provide felony penalties for animal torture on the first offense.
- Only Iowa doesn’t have such a law.
- Animal cruelty laws typically cover intentional and egregious animal neglect and abuse.
For animal rights advocates, the term "animal abuse" refers to any use or treatment of animals that seems unnecessarily cruel, regardless of whether the act is against the law. In this light, both "cruelty" and "abuse" describe any behavior that leads to animal suffering, from "deliberate harm or misuse of animals"1 to unintentional neglect.2
For others, the distinction between "animal abuse" and "animal cruelty" depends on the abuser's intent and their view of their own actions. Veterinarian and animal rights activist Catherine Tiplady says abuse "has been defined as misuse or maltreatment" while cruelty has been described "as indifference or pleasure in another's pain."1
While both terms are often used interchangeably, "animal cruelty" is also a legal term that describes acts of abuse that are against the law. Each of the 50 states protects animals to some degree through state laws known as "animal anti-cruelty statutes," but what is allowed and what is prosecuted differs from state to state.3
Abuse Standards for Animals
The term "animal abuse" may be used to describe violent or neglectful actions against all kinds of animals, including pets, livestock, and wildlife, but from a legal perspective, an animal's relationship to humans also matters. Wildlife or pets will likely have more legal protections than farmed animals under many state laws. If cats, dogs, or mountain lions were mistreated in the same way that many cows, pigs, and chickens on factory farms are, the perpetrators would likely be convicted of animal cruelty.
Animal advocates consider factory farming practices like debeaking, the use of veal crates, or tail docking to be animal abuse, but these practices are exempt from many state anti-cruelty statutes. They're allowed because they're considered to be a part of standard husbandry practices.4
Many animal rights activists oppose not only animal abuse and animal cruelty, but any use of animals by humans. This can include animals displayed for entertainment or used for recreation in addition to those raised to be food. For many animal rights activists, the issue is not about abuse or cruelty; it's about domination and oppression, about using animals for any human need no matter how well the animals are treated, no matter how big the cages are, and no matter how much anesthesia they are given before painful procedures.
Laws Against Animal Cruelty
The legal definition of "animal cruelty" varies from state to state, as do the penalties and punishments. Most states have exemptions for wildlife, animals in laboratories, and common agricultural practices, such as debeaking or castration.5 Some states exempt rodeos, zoos, circuses, and pest control. Others may have separate laws banning practices like cockfighting, dogfighting, or horse slaughter.
If someone is found guilty of animal cruelty, most state animal anti-cruelty statutes provide some instruction as far as animal seizure and cost of care reimbursement. Some allow counseling or community service as part of the sentencing, and about half have felony penalties.
Federal Tracking of Animal Cruelty
In 2019, Congress passed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, a federal anti-cruelty bill allowing federal law enforcement and prosecutors to go after those who commit acts of animal cruelty within federal jurisdiction with felony charges. Violators of the PACT Act could face a fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both.6
In addition, the FBI tracks and collects information about acts of animal cruelty from participating law enforcement agencies across the country. These can include neglect, torture, organized abuse and even sexual abuse of animals. The FBI used to include acts of animal cruelty into an "all other offenses" category, which did not give much insight into the nature and frequency of such acts.
The FBI's motivation for tracking acts of animal cruelty stems from the belief that many who practice such behavior may also be abusing children or other people. Many high-profile serial killers began their violent acts by harming or killing animals, according to law enforcement.7