Harsher Punishments for Animal Abuse
There are many forms of animal abuse
and abandonment. Simple neglect is
inadequate medical care or an animal not being groomed or even as simple as out
growing a collar. Another form of abuse
is malicious neglect. Animals are starved and not given water. They are tied up
and left to stand in their own waste. Animals can be victims of domestic
violence as a way control the person being abused. Sometimes they are abused
unintentionally. We don’t realize that our choices are a form of abuse. For
example, keeping an old, sick dog that is in pain alive, or locking a dog a hot
car with the windows cracked, while running into the store. There are laws in
47 of the states against animal cruelty, but these laws are not strict enough. To
make a difference, there should be harsher punishment for animal cruelty and
abuse.
The statistics on animal abuse outnumber
the laws that punish animal abuse. There is no national reporting system and
most cases are usually never reported. Animal abuse is more common in rural and
urban areas. According to the ASCPA website, the highest percentage of animal
abuse cases involves dogs. There
are more homeless animals in the United States than there are homeless people. There
is no way to know how many dogs and cats are homeless in the United States.
Before 1986 there were only four states
that had felony cruelty laws. Then in 1986 until 1996 there were thirteen
states that charged a felony for animal abuse and cruelty. By 2007 the number
of states to make the law a felony had jumped to 27. Today, 43 of the 50 states
are first offense felony provisions. This means the person cannot be charged
with a lesser crime. There are states that have harsh laws but they can still
be improved to make the laws cover more offenses and have a steeper, harsher
punishment. North Dakota is the only state that animal cruelty is not a felony.
The punishment in North Dakota for animal cruelty is a Class A misdemeanor,
$2000 fine and up to one year in jail. This is just a slap on the hand. It is
not a harsh enough punishment for people who abuse animals.
Many people love animals and treat them as part of the
family. Their animals are allowed to sleep in the bed, sit on the furniture and
some even go to the extent of dressing their animals. These animals are well
cared for and loved and are considered a life-long commitment. Then there are
some who believe animals are only good work or food. When they are no longer
useful or they tire of the animal, it is given away, put down or
abandoned. It is true, our
Heavenly Father has given us dominion over animals, but that means to care for
them and treat them with kindness even when they are no longer useful to us. “President
Joseph F. Smith, who succeeded George Q. Cannon as editor of the Juvenile
Instructor, expanded the emphasis on Humane Day. In February 1912 in a
two-page editorial entitled “Kindness to Animals,” he wrote: “Kindness to the whole animal creation and
especially to all domestic animals is not only a virtue that should be
developed, but is the absolute duty of mankind. … It is an unrighteous thing to
treat any creature cruelly. … It will be a blessed day when mankind shall
accept and abide by the Christ-like sentiment expressed by one of the poets in
the following words: ‘Take not away the life you cannot give, For all things
have an equal right to live.”
Animals are scared, and they feel pain
just like humans do. They are helpless victims and it can cause them to become
timid, depressed and sometime aggressive. They have no voice. They are innocent
creatures of our Heavenly Father and should be taken care of as a precious gift
from him.
The reality of animal abuse and cruelty
is there are not harsh enough laws. The people who abuse and hurt animals are
not in jail long enough. They usually are free after three years. I believe we
need to make the sentence for animal cruelty much longer. If the person kills
the animal, then they need to be put away for a long time. We need to make it
easier for people to report animal abuse. There needs to be punishment for
people who do not report suspected animal abuse. The penalty for animal abuse
needs to be actually serving jail time with a longer sentence. The offender
should not be allowed to ever own an animal again.