Intro: Animal abuse continues to remain prevalent within modern day society, with an estimated 10 million cases on average each year. Cases reportedly occur across all socioeconomic backgrounds, and community types. Most common victims include dogs, cats, horses and livestock. Abuse comes in many forms, including intentional cruelty, most commonly committed by white men under age 30. Also, hoarding behavior, most associated with women over age 60, facilitates animal abuse, as pets are tragically endangered and neglected. Abuse also continues to occur within organized cock and dog fighting events, which have been linked to instances of public and police corruption. Most notably, perpetrators of human violence are likely to also abuse animals. According to the Humane Society, an estimated 1 million animals each year are abused or killed during instances of domestic violence. Unfortunately, many victims of domestic violence, such as women and children, become trapped within their abusive situations due to a lack of resources to escape safely with their pets.
Prior Legislation: To combat animal abuse within the United States, the Pets and Women’s Safety (PAWS) Act was introduced and signed into law in 2018, helping provide aid to those trying to escape their abusive environments. The Humane Society has also successfully fought to have all 50 states include a felony provision in their animal cruelty laws.
Call to action: This legislation alone is not enough! Additional action MUST be taken in order to finally put an end to such needless violence and cruelty. You can help! If you see instances of animal cruelty, say something! Raise your voice for those who are voiceless! To learn more, visit www.antianimalcrueltycampaign.org!
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