Zero Tolerance for Animal Abuse ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

Putnam, New York: A 41 year old man viciously and brutally kicked an elderly, blind, deaf, and arthritic dog to death. Roxi, a Shepherd mix, was kicked "like a football" after she wandered into the man's yard during a Memorial Day barbecue. Roxi dragged herself under a tree and died several hours later.
Waynesville, Missouri: A 43 year old man tied his yearling colt to the back of a van and dragged the colt along a highway, causing such severe and painful injuries that the colt had to be euthenized.

Leesburg, Virginia: A 39 year old man was caught viciously stomping on a 14 year old, declawed cat in a garbage can. The cat, Luke, was horribly injured and died on the way to the veterinary clinic.

These violent and heartbreaking stories of cruelty against animals are drawn from the Animal Legal Defense Fund's (ALDF) case files. They are not isolated incidents of vicious brutality. In communities all across America, defenseless dogs, cats, and other animals are being subjected to a reign of terror.

The first outrage is that these vicious attacks happen at all. The second is that, more often than not, those responsible are never brought to justice. But that's starting to change.

Until very recently, animal cruelty crimes like those described above were rarely prosecuted. And even when animal abusers were convicted, they were rarely punished. Jail terms were almost unheard of.

All too often, local prosecutors dismissed or excused cruelty to animals as something on par with shoplifting or vandalism. Even when prosecutors wanted to act to end the violence, they often lacked the expertise or resources to take animal abusers to court.

Circumstances like these led to the launching of ALDF to a powerful anti-cruelty campaign, which are already having a powerful impact in communities all across the nation. The abusers in all three of the cases cited at the beginning of this article were convicted of the crimes and received harsh sentences for their actions.

There is no place in our society for intentionally inflicting pain on a defenseless dog, cat, or other animal. Those who engage in animal cruelty go to jail.

ALDF doesn't just preach to law enforcement officials about the need to vigorously prosecute animal cruelty cases. They roll up their sleeves and help them get the job done.

This is done by offering local law enforcement officials practical, hands on help: educating them about anti-cruelty laws. ALDF's dedicated staff is available to help over-burdened prosecutors with animal abusers, actually working as assistants - researching legal issues, often at a moment's notice, and handing the results over to the district attorney for use in the case - providing prosecutors and judges with access to their computerized database that holds critically important information on prosecutions, convictions, and sentencing in similar cases; making sure prosecutors, judges, and police officers understand the direct link between animal abuse and other kinds of violence; and writing to judges, urging the maximum sentences under state law.

All of that hard work is really starting to pay off. Today there are 42 states where cruelty crimes are classified as felonies punishable by fines and jail terms. That's three times more states than had felony provisions a decade ago. Animal abusers are being prosecuted in record numbers and statistics show animal abusers are sentence to prison terms.

The pressure on crimes against animals will not be let up. Not until cruelty to animals is a felony in every state, not until police everywhere are aggressively enforcing anti-cruelty laws, not until district attorneys everywhere are energetically prosecuting cruelty crimes, and not until judges everywhere are handing down stiff fine and maximum jail terms. The fight for justice for animals will continue until zero tolerance for cruelty is the rule of the land all across America. Because, until that day, animals will remain helpless victims of abuse, outside the protection of the law.

You can play a direct role in helping win the case against animal cruelty. You'll send a loud and clear message to the public: "Abuse an animal and you go to jail!"

The victims of animal abuse - the dogs, cats, and other animals so many of us love as companions, who ask so little of us and give back so much, can't send that message. But you and I can. The most powerful ally the animals of our communities have is us. Working together, we CAN rescue animals from their abusers.

Here are actions that you can take:

If you witness or hear about an act of cruelty and/or neglect, contact your local police, sheriff, animal control, rescue, shelter, and prosecutor's office. Demand an investigation and prosecution. Report stray or injured animals to your local rescue and shelter.
Immediately notify ALDF about the case and they will swing into action.
If you read about animal abuse or the problem of unwanted or neglected animals in your local newspaper, write letters to the editor and encourage aggressive enforcement of anti-cruelty laws.
Go to ALDF's Animal Cruelty Actionline to find out about current abuse cases where your involvement can make a difference.
Contact your local prosecutor and demand aggressive enforcement of state anti-cruelty laws. Prosecutors are elected officials; let the prosecutor know that your vote will go to the candidate who is serious about cruelty.
Avoid purchasing products that are tested on animals.
Encourage friends and neighbors to join you in donating pet food, blankets, towels, and time to your local rescue and shelter.
Share your love for animals and how to properly care for them with children - our greatest legacy will be a more animal friendly world.
Remember: Cruelty is a crime. Let's work together to demand that state anti-cruelty laws get enforced and animals get the protection they deserve.

There is no magical formula to erase the sick abuse of animals that's rampant in our society. Particularly when the victims are innocent, wonderful, loving creatures. Sadly, we can't make cruelty disappear overnight. But we can and must put animal abusers away - one criminal at a time. We must declare all-out war on animal abuse. Animals may be helpless, but with our support, they won't be defenseless. By working together, we can enforce legal protections for animals and move towards a society that doesn't tolerate cruelty by action now, which is a direct impact on the welfare of animals.

Resource:
Compiled from material provided by ALDF, May 2007.

Other related pages on this site:

Animal Cruelty Points to Potential for Violence Against Humans
How to Report Animal Abuse Includes tips on how to write effective emails & letters for animal well-being & abuse cases.
Media Contacts for Animal Issues

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