According to Pet-Abuse.com, animal abuse is when a person knowingly inflicts physical pain or extended suffering to an animal with criminal negligence, and as a result, causes the death or physical injury to the animal. Animal abuse can be put in to two different categories, passive and active abuse. Passive abuse is when a person neglects their animal. Examples of passive neglect are when a person starves or dehydrates their animal, letting the animal become infested with parasites, allowing the collar to grow into the animal’s skin, and failing to seek veterinary care when needed. Active abuse is carried out with malicious intent, when a person deliberately causes harm to an animal. Actions such as striking and skinning and burning alive are considered forms of active abuse.
Currently, there are only six states without felony repercussions for people who abuse animals. Oklahoma was the first state to have felony repercussions for animal abuse in 1887. Today the state’s penalty is a maximum jail time of five years and up to a $5,000 fine. In 2007 Hawaii became the most recent state to adopt felony repercussions for animal abuse, with jail time up to five years and an even higher maximum fine of $10,000. All the states with felony repercussions for animal abuse vary in sentencing from 9 months to 10 years of jail time, and fines varying from $1,000 to $100,000.
