Animal Cruelty In Your State
Animal cruelty is defined in most states through a law known of as a statute. If you are not sure what the laws are about cruelty and neglect in your state, you can normally find them through a simple Internet search. The rule of thumb regarding statutes is that each word in the statute has meaning and the words are to be taken at face value. (If you find that the laws in your state are not clear and you need help understanding them, you need to speak to an attorney.)
Many statutes are very short and are, unfortunately, not very specific. The statute in Alabama is an example. Code of Alabama (1975), Section 13A-11-241 states, in pertinent part:
Cruelty in first and second degrees.
(a) A person commits the crime of cruelty to a dog or cat in the first degree if he or she intentionally tortures any dog or cat or skins a domestic dog or cat or offers for sale or exchange or offers to buy or exchange the fur, hide, or pelt of a domestic dog or cat. Cruelty to a dog or cat in the first degree is a Class C felony.
(b) A person commits the crime of cruelty to a dog or cat in the second degree if he or she, in a cruel manner, overloads, overdrives, deprives of necessary sustenance or shelter, unnecessarily or cruelly beats, injuries, mutilates, or causes the same to be done. Cruelty to a dog or cat in the second degree is a Class A misdemeanor.
Look at sub-paragraph (b) above. What is meant by overload? Overdrive? Does this mean that the person must provide the dog or cat veterinary care? While the words themselves have the same meaning for most people, it is the words which are missing from the statute which can make it difficult to understand.
Many statutes are very short and are, unfortunately, not very specific. The statute in Alabama is an example. Code of Alabama (1975), Section 13A-11-241 states, in pertinent part:
Cruelty in first and second degrees.
(a) A person commits the crime of cruelty to a dog or cat in the first degree if he or she intentionally tortures any dog or cat or skins a domestic dog or cat or offers for sale or exchange or offers to buy or exchange the fur, hide, or pelt of a domestic dog or cat. Cruelty to a dog or cat in the first degree is a Class C felony.
(b) A person commits the crime of cruelty to a dog or cat in the second degree if he or she, in a cruel manner, overloads, overdrives, deprives of necessary sustenance or shelter, unnecessarily or cruelly beats, injuries, mutilates, or causes the same to be done. Cruelty to a dog or cat in the second degree is a Class A misdemeanor.
Look at sub-paragraph (b) above. What is meant by overload? Overdrive? Does this mean that the person must provide the dog or cat veterinary care? While the words themselves have the same meaning for most people, it is the words which are missing from the statute which can make it difficult to understand.