Animal abuse has been increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic as people’s mental health nosedives. We’ve all been battling worse anxiety, fear, and even anger as we grapple with feeling not in control of our lives. Unfortunately, for some people, this has translated into abusing the animals that are stuck at home with them. And it doesn’t end there. Even if those abusers are caught, charged, and convicted, in most places in the U.S. these same perpetrators can still go on to legally work with animals again in the future! This includes at animal shelters, where the most vulnerable and helpless pets are at their mercy.
Luckily, some states are trying to take action. The New York State Senate recently approved a measure making it a class A misdemeanor for an individual convicted of animal cruelty to ever work with animals in a shelter. This shouldn’t just be restricted to one state, though — this should be a law across the nation. Sign the petition urging Congress to pass a law to ban convicted animal abusers from working with animals ever again!