Pennsylvania is neither the best nor the worst state with respect to animal cruelty laws, according to two studies conducted recently. The York Dispatch discusses the studies, conducted by the HSUS and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
The Humane Society based its study on 65 different animal protection issues in 10 categories, including fighting, cruelty, puppy mills, wildlife, animals in research and companion-animal laws.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund ranked jurisdictions based on cumulative scores to 38 questions covering 14 categories of animal protection laws, including penalties, general prohibitions, law-enforcement policies, animal fighting and cruelty reporting requirements.
These findings were reported several months ago; the attached story is an update since then.
Read the entire York Dispatch story here.
An excerpt is below:
Pennsylvania has no felony provision for first-time neglect or cruelty, something the York County SPCA would like to see changed, according to Smith — especially for starvation cases.
“In my mind, there is nothing worse that you can do to an animal than the prolonged suffering of starvation,” she said. “But I don’t think I’ll ever see that in my lifetime.”
Currently, someone who allows an animal to starve in Pennsylvania will likely face only a summary non-traffic citation, Smith said. It’s possible to bump the charge to a misdemeanor, but that would require convincing a county judge or jury that the starvation constituted “malicious, torturous behavior,” she said.
As a result, most people found guilty in York County of allowing their pets to starve to death receive only fines, and no jail time.
Pennsylvania does not require vets to report cruelty, doesn’t mandate counseling for offenders — although judges may order that — and doesn’t mandate that shelters be reimbursed for costs associated with feeding, housing and caring for seized animals that owners decline to relinquish.
Sarah Speed, Pennsylvania state director of the Humane Society of the United States, said she’d like to see Pennsylvania’s laws expanded to let district judges (who handle all summary cases) order counseling and anger-management classes. She said state law should also require cruelty offenders to reimburse shelters for costs associated with keeping seized pets.
The worst: Both studies cited North Dakota, Idaho and Mississippi as having the worst animal protection laws in the country.
Mississippi and North Dakota have no humane police officers and no requirement that police enforce animal protection laws, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund study, while Idaho has “inadequate” provisions for humane officers and no enforcement requirement for police.
Those three states also have no felony provisions for animal cruelty, neglect or abandonment, according to the organization.
Read the full report at the York Dispatch.
