All too often,we hear of animal abuse cases in which the offender walks away from court with little more than a slap on the wrist and a 5 year ban from owning animals.These cases have been brought at times due to the death of an animal,and as a result of this,the 6 month maximum sentence that is sometimes given seems rather inadequate.After recent tragedies,a higher sentence must now be given as this falls in line with more serious crimes,and is much more than just animal neglect.