Animal Abuse Registry

Animal abusers are heartless people who don’t deserve to live life with their crimes unnoticed. Lisa Weisberg, senior vice president of government affairs for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says, "If you treat animal abuse as a $50 fine and a slap on the wrist, people won't take it very seriously” (Kenna 1). Charging the abusers only a small fine is just not strict enough. This form of punishment does not fit the crime or prevent it from happening again. American people need to recognize animal abuse as the serious crime that it is and the consequences of these actions. The United States should establish a national animal abuse registry in order to decrease acts of animal abuse. Household pets are very common
One author explains, “Their names, photos and addresses will be published on a county-run website that is publicly searchable and similar to the online sex offender registries that have proliferated since the 1990s” (Brulliard). Since sex offender registries have worked so well in preventing sex offenses, it should work the same for animal abuse registries. As an animal owner, it should be your top priority to keep your pet safe. Thus, a list of this kind could help keep animals in your neighborhood safe of potentially dangerous individuals and take the necessary
Throughout history, it has been proven that animal abusers are most likely linked to other crimes. A source says, “Speculation regarding a possible link between violence toward animals and violence toward people can be traced back as far as writings from philosophers in the fourteenth century” (Campbell 278). A perfect example would be the famous serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer. The source also says Jeffrey Dahmer, “murdered and cannibalized at least seventeen people from 1978 through 1991. A subsequent investigation revealed that he captured and tortured many animals before graduating to acts that involved killing humans” (Campbell 272). If a registry had existed back then, authorities could have arrested him sooner or even prevented the barbarous murders from happening. Often times, this type of criminal begins by abusing defenseless animals and then progressing to more vicious acts of abuse towards humans. Given these points, an animal abuse should definitely be created. The abuse is a horrendous crime taking place in today’s society. Crimes against animals are a topic that is often overlooked and people may not take it as sincerely as they should. The community should look out for the safety of the helpless animals surrounding them. Members of the community could use the registry as a way to keep their neighborhood safe and their pets protected. Animals are unable to speak for themselves, but a registry