Animal Cruelty Is Officially A Felony Offense

I'm one of those people that loves dogs. All dogs. I've mentioned before that I have two pit bulls and truly believe it's the way they are raised that determines what kind of dog they turn out to be. I also believe in rehabilitation for these dogs. My one dog came from a bad situation. It's taken a lot of work to get her to where she is now and she's not done, but I won't give up on her.

I was very pleased to see the President sign a bill yesterday that makes animal cruelty a federal offense. The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act prohibits extreme acts of cruelty when they occur in interstate commerce or on federal property according to WIFR.

It's hard to bring up animal cruelty cases without mentioning the headlining case about Michael Vick. That case shined the spotlight on a situation that many didn't know about. That was also the case that brought some changes to the laws to begin with. After that case, dogs seized were no longer euthanized but instead given a chance to rehabilitate. NPR even discussed what some of those dogs have been up to now 12 years later.

Regardless of your stance of this or any president, I for one am happy to see stiffer penalties for those that hurt animals.