Every year, around  1,920 cases of animal abuse are filed. However, most cases of animal abuse are NOT filed or even reported. 60 percent of all animal abuse cases involve dogs, 18 percent involve cats, and 22 percent include other animals. Cases of animal abuse include neglect and abandonment (32 percent), shooting (11 percent), hoarding (13 percent) (when too many animals are kept in unsanitary conditions), beating (8 percent), fighting (9 percent), stabbing (5 percent), mutilation and torture (5 percent), choking/strangulation/suffocation (3 percent), burning (2 percent), poisoning (10 percent), and other (2 percent). 

     Please help all of the poor, abused animals by making animal abuse illegal. Currently, penalties for cruelty can be minimal, if they are even pursued. Currently, 46 of the 50 states have enacted felony penalties for certain forms of animal abuse. However, in most jurisdictions, animal cruelty is most commonly charged as a misdemeanor offense. This needs to be changed. Think of that cute puppy you saw the other day. Right now it could be being abused. We can change this.