Did you know that in most states a person could heinously abuse an animal and then go out and adopt a new one the next day? Even after convicted of animal abuse, there is very little keeping that person from acquiring another animal in the future in virtually every state.
That's why we are calling on every state without a law preventing convicted abusers from adopting more animals to get one on the books immediately.
This is not only protection for all animals; it is well known that there is a strong connection between animal cruelty, child abuse, domestic violence and many other crimes.
There are only 15 states that have any laws preventing known abusers from adopting animals. About half of them have a limit on how long a judge can prevent someone from owning an animal, usually 5 years or so. The rest are up to each judge. But we need every single state to be able to ban abusers from adopting animals.
Many states require mental health counseling for those convicted, which is fabulous, but not enough in terms of keeping other animals safe.
Many municipalities like New York City and Chicago have registries and don't allow abusers to adopt. But that doesn't stop abusers from just going to another county to get an animal — there is no national registry.
Please sign my petition to ask the following states to put laws on the book to prevent convicted abusers from adopting animals: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, North Dakota, North Carolina, & New York.
Many states have laws banning animal abuse, but the penalties are light and don't deter abusers from adopting and hurting animals again. We need real laws that prevent convicted abusers from getting their hands on beautiful, innocent animals. 