Official statistics on animal cruelty?

Based on media reports, we can review animal cruelty in terms of:

Most Common Victims

In media-reported animal cruelty cases, dogs—and pit bulls, in particular—are the most common victims of animal cruelty. Of 1,880 cruelty cases* reported in the media in 2007:

•64.5% (1,212) involved dogs

•18% (337) involved cats

•25% (470) involved other animals

•Reported abuse against pit bulls appears to be on the rise: in 2000–2001, pit bulls were involved in 13% of reported dog-abuse cases; in 2007, they were involved in 25% of reported dog-abuse cases.

*some cases involved multiple species

Horses

•According to the American Horse Council, Americans own more than 9 million horses, up from more than 6 million in the mid-1990s. Backyard breeding fueled the boom in pet horses. Of the more than 2 million Americans who own horses, more than one-third have a household income of less than $50,000.

•Neither the total number of horse neglect cases nor the percentage of total animal abuse cases classified as horse neglect has risen since the closure of all U.S. horse slaughter plants.

Statistics:

•About 2,168,000 women and men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner in the U.S. every year (U.S. Department of Justice, 2000).

•63% of U.S. households own a pet (APPMA, 2006).

•71% of domestic violence victims report that their abuser also targeted their animal (Ascione, 1997).

•In 2007, 7% of media-reported animal cruelty cases either occured in the context of a domestic dispute or involved a person with a history of domestic violence.

Legislative Trends

•47 states currently have felony provisions for animal cruelty. (Those without are Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota.)

•Before 1986, only four states had felony animal cruelty laws.

•42 of the 47 state felony animal cruelty laws were enacted in the last three decades: 13 were enacted between 1986 and 1996, and 28 more were enacted between 1997 and 2011.

First vs. Second Offense

•43 of the 47 state felony provisions are first-offense provisions.

•Four are second-offense felonies (Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, and Pennsylvania).

•Within the 43 first-offense felony states, several have a first-offense provision for aggravated cruelty, torture, companion animal cruelty, etc., in addition to a second-offense provision for cruelty to animals.

States Finding Second-Offense Laws Inadequate

•In the last decade, at least 6 states have enacted second- or third-offense felony animal cruelty laws, only to readdress and upgrade them to first-offense laws within a few years:

•Alaska (3rd 2008, 1st 2010)

•Indiana (2nd 1998, 1st 2002)

•Kentucky (2nd 2003, 1st 2007)

•Nebraska (2nd 2002, 1st 2003)

•Tennessee (2nd 2001 and 2002, 1st 2004)

•Virginia (2nd 1999, 1st 2002)

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