Animal Cruelty In the United States, an animal is abused every 60 seconds. Neglected and terrified, these animals are constantly fighting for their lives (“Every animal deserves a second chance”). As common and harmful as it is, animal cruelty was not a crime in all 50 states until a few months ago (March 14, 2014), when South Dakota actually passed a new law, making animal abuse a crime nationwide (Berry). Just because animal abuse is illegal doesn't mean people don't continue to commit these horrific acts of violence. Although animal cruelty laws help provide legal protection to most animals in the United States, they do not adequately contribute to the advancement of animal rights. There are about many indicators of how likely a person is to commit domestic violence, but the most compelling is a history of violence toward pets (“Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty”). It is five times more likely that foul people who abuse animals will also harm humans ("Animal Cruelty and Domestic Violence - Animal Legal Defense Fund"). It has also been confirmed that the most dangerous types of domestic abusers are those who also abuse animals; This is because they are more violent and controlling. Researchers have verified that children who are abused or exposed to domestic violence are three times more likely to abuse or neglect animals than children who have not been exposed to the same violence (“Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty”). This scandalous fact is one that every parent should consider before attempting to express violence towards their children. The link between animal abuse and domestic violence is so common that social services often begin an investigation into a troubled family by examining the family's animals ("Facts About Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence"). According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, "the truth is that a person who harms animals will likely be a loving and loyal puppy, ten weeks old and weighing only twenty incredibly delicate pounds when a 'human' vulgar and contemptible tied him up and tied him up. used him as bait for a vicious, full-grown pitbull, bred to be, to tear him apart. Somehow, perhaps miraculously, Oogy was fighting for his life when the police found him locked in a cage, bleeding to death, his jaw broken and his left ear torn off (Levin). Another incident of animal cruelty that is sparking anger involves Dolly, a playful pit bull around six years old, who was scheduled to be euthanized due to the remains her attackers left her with. Dolly was blind and attacked with a baseball bat until her skull shattered and she suffered brain damage; his right ear was hanging on by a thread and it was completely buried under the burns and scabs brought on by the fire. Fortunately, volunteers at an animal rescue organization in New York were able to eradicate all of Dolly's injuries except for her vision, which was permanently impaired due to the brain damage she suffered. suffered (“Mistreated and abandoned animals”). These tragic incidents where innocent animals are brutally abused could be easily avoided if unintentional animal abuse was a crime, and it was necessary for pet owners to understand and be informed about what is happening.