Community Service

One issue that is concerning the nation currently is animal abuse. The most recent case that was all over the news is Mike Vick's case of dog fighting which is a form of animal cruelty. Animal abuse can be so graphic sometimes that people don't want to think about it but the people that are committing this crime in large masses cause people to open their eyes about this issue. Each state has its own rules relating to animal abuse. Some states call it a felony, some call it a misdemeanor. Many states are starting to take action and impose stricter laws. Some states like Nevada require counseling or psychological treatment for a child who committs animal cruelty. Arkansas is trying to increase their animal cruelty laws from a maximum fine of $1,000 and a year in jail to a Class D felony which means fines up to $10,000 and six years in jail for adult offenders. The main opposition to these actions is the complaint of laws being to vague. Contrary to this a vague law allows judges to decide with a series of cases what exaclty is animal cruelty and what isn't. Many laws are built up in this fashion. One case where offenders were not prosecuted was when two adults beat two of their dogs to death with aluminum bats because they were worried the dogs barking would cause them to be evicted. They were not prosecuted because it was argued that the dogs were killed instantly and they did not suffer while being beaten. It was said that because the dogs were killed instantly it would b the same as killing the dogs through injection. We can all take action through the community to help keep stories like these from happening. One way to help is to volunteer at a local animal shelter to help the animals that are being abused. El Dorado has a local animal shelter where pets can be rescued and put up for adoption. Another way is to keep an eye out for dogs that look mistreated and to get it reported as soon as possible. ASPCA is a nation wide organization that is a society created to prevent cruelty to animals. There are steps to reporting animal cruelty in different places. This website describes ways to file a report in different states. On ASPCA's website you can do anything from finding information about adoption to starting your own shelter. The reason most of the stricter laws are passed in different states is because of action from people. By going out and showing support for stricter laws we can get them passed and help to stop animal cruelty.