My aim is to stop people who abuse animals over the age of 18 from ever owning a pet again. This is because people can severely injure or even kill an animal, and only get banned from owning another one for a maximum of 20 years, as well as being fined and sometimes jail time. Approximately 1 in 10 animal abusers are repeat offenders. This is almost 10 million animals that could have avoided abuse if this law had been in place worldwide. 

In Australia, around 70,000 animals are reported to the RSPCA for abuse. If this law was in place, it could prevent around 7000 abuses from happening in a year. 

By keeping it to people who are over 18, it is allowing them to become mature adults who know the consequences of the law, ruling out children or teenagers who may not know what they have done is wrong. 

Underneath, I have provided an example of a man who severely abused an animal and only received a fine and 12-month probation. He then abused yet another animal, where he was also only given a fine and probation, as well as vet bills. This is just one of the many examples of abuse that could have been prevented if this law was in place:

A WA man has appeared in court charged with animal cruelty for failing to alleviate harm suffered by his pet dog ‘Pepper Pig’, an adult female Shar Pei which was found to be suffering from skin, eye and ear problems requiring treatment. The man was issued with Direction Notices ordering him to seek treatment for Pepper Pig’s condition but he failed to comply, resulting in Pepper Pig being seized by RSPCA Inspectors in October 2017 and transported to the RSPCA Animal Care Centre in Malaga for treatment. The man was ordered to pay a $4000 fine and received only a 10-year prohibition from being in care or control of an animal, in addition to vet costs totalling $1829.18 and court costs of $119.35.

This is the second animal that this man has abused. In 2015, the man was charged after the discovery of his dog Ying who was found tethered to a tree by a chain on an abandoned property in Breera. The chain had embedded in Ying’s neck and caused a large, deep wound. The man appeared in court and was fined $2500, ordered to pay $1300 in costs and received a 12-month prohibition order preventing him from owning animals other than his current registered dogs.