A State Just Passed A Law Making Any Form Of Animal Abuse A Felony

No matter what part of the political spectrum you land, there are some issues that people just agree on. Unless you're just coldhearted, most people feel strongly that you shouldn't abuse an animal. 

In an inspiring show of bipartisanship, lawmakers in Ohio just passed a law that finally ups the punishment for individuals who physically abuse animals. You should know how this new law goes above and beyond the arguably weak laws that have been in place.


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Experts have cited that every 10 seconds an animal is abused. It's a problem that many know exist but often falls at the wayside to other "human" issues. 

I'm not going to include pictures of abused animals in this article because we've all seen them and know exactly what animal abuse looks like. Pictures of people treating animals the way they should is just as impactful. 

Did you know that many of the same households with animal abuse also have child abuse?

When analyzing whether animal abuse tends to exist alongside child abuse, one study found that 88% of families being supervised for suspicion of child abuse had an animal that was being abused as well.

Animal abuse comes in many different forms.

The vast majority of "intentional" cases of abuse are by men under the age of 30, but animal hoarding, another form of animal abuse, is predominantly carried out by women over the age of 60. 

When it comes to the types of animals abused, the majority are dogs (70.1% of cases), followed by cats (20.9%), with the remaining cases involving other animals. 

A huge win can be marked down for animal rights activists after Ohio lawmakers came together to get something important done – sufficiently punish individuals who abuse animals. 

This picture shows Governor of Ohio John Kasich signing "Goddard's Law."

Up until this point, if a person in Ohio abused an animal, it would be treated as a first-degree misdemeanor, an offense that brings little to no punishment.  

In collaboration with animal rights group PAWS (Public Animal Welfare Society), Dick Goddard pushed to change this lack of punishment once and for all in his state of Ohio. 

In an interview, Goddard said that "My parents taught me respect for animals and too many people have no respect." Goddard, a longtime member of the Cleveland TV station WJW, met with Ohio lawmakers to build support for a law that would make the punishment for animal abuse much more substantial. 

Both Democrats and Republicans in the Ohio legislature supported the law and passed the house with a vote of 92-1.

The Ohio state director for The Humane Society, Corey Roscoe, summed up the point of the new law very clearly. 

"The brutal act of torturing a companion animal should not be tolerated in our state, and this new law is a step in the right direction. Ohio now joins 47 states in the nation that punish extreme acts of animal cruelty with felony-level penalties." 

So what exactly does a 5th felony get you in terms of punishment?

Now, any person who harms their companion animal (basically meaning pet) will receive a jail sentence of six months to a year and be hit with a $2,500 fine. 

The law makes it clear that animal abuse not only means intentional physical abuse, but also includes situations when people deprive their pet of food, water, and shelter.

Do you know what the animal abuse laws are in your state?

COMMENT on Facebook with your opinion on how animal abuse should be dealt with.