Yes

Absolutely! And I also think that children under the age of 18 who torture animals should have to enter some kind of program that monitors them to see if they fit the serial-killer profile.

Yes - this is a bee ive really got in my bonnet - im disgusted with the lack of respect shown to animals in the world today - and its being passed down to kids, who dont seem to realise that animals have every right to be on this planet and that they have feelings!

Without a doubt.

Yes, it absolutely should.

it's appalling that it's not one already.

It isn't? I knew a guy around here that served some prison time for abusing a dog.

No, that would be asinine yo...

There's overwhelming scientific evidence that nonhuman animals, from the simplest to the most complex, are capable of feeling pain. There is similar evidence that mammals and birds have rich emotional lives and inner worlds, and can form deep relationships with each other, and, in some species, with humans. Finally, some problem solving behaviours observed in primates, crows and ravens, some other mammals, and even some species of spider can only be explained in terms of analytical reasoning capability and abstract thinking. There is no legitimate basis on which to proclaim any real distinction between humans and nonhuman animals. There is only a difference in degree, not in kind, when it comes to their mental capabilities. That said, the ethical and consistent thing would be to provide nonhumans with equal protection under the law with humans. Obviously their rights would be on par with infants and the severely mentally disabled, since that's the extent of their mental faculties (so no dogs voting!), but there isn't any justification for less protection under the law than that. So, the short answer is "yes". And the long answer is that animal cruelty (including homicide) should be prosecuted with the same penalities that would apply to similar cases of cruelty (or homicide) to humans. Given that there isn't any uniquely human quality that separates us according to the investigations of modern science, that is the only rational, consistent thing to do.

I think it is, isn't it? If so I agree with it. If not it should be.

Most definately.

Yes,yes,yes! It's unbearable to see an animal suffer at a humans hand.

Which animal LOVER would deny it?!

Definatly!!!

I think they should take these people and do to them what they do to animals ..tie them up outside for days with no food or water, beat them, burn them, etc.. Stats show that people who abuse animals will also abuse kids, elderly, etc. These are the same people who will murder, rape, etc for a thrill..People say animals are just "property".. bull. Sound too harsh? too bad? If I had money, I would donate it to ASPCA.. ThEre is nothing worse to me than a person who would hurt an animal.

Yes, i hate people whoa re cruel to animals.

yes and the convicted should be made to enter rehab for their cruelty

It is here in Australia. A woman here was recently fined $5000 and ordered to pay $17,000 court fees for mistreating her dog. Yay!!!!

Yes, and in some states they do have to pay fines and I believe go to jail. We need more pet police in all states and every country.

Absolutely! Mandatory stiff jail sentences, and community service plus fines! There should also be mandatory animal abuser neighbor notification so people will know to be careful about where their pets are.

ABSOLUTELY!! usually people just get a slap on the wrist which is not right.

No, because the law will only go after fringe cases of animal abuse. Some criminology studies suggest that probability of being caught is a much better deterrent than the severity of the punishment. Moreover, the prison population in the U.S. is already inexcusably high (about half in prison are nonviolent offenders). ... Maybe if we decriminalized drugs and prostitution (I didn't say endorse, just decriminalize) we could view people involved in these messes as those who need help, not a punishment. ... I am opposed to animal abuse, but it is speculative if making the narrow cases of legally recognizable animal abuse a felony will actually help animals. A slaughter house worker might kill more calves in a day than the amount of dogs that Mike Vick killed over a long period of time.

Of course it should be a felony. People who are cruel to animals are usually cruel to humans as well.

How do you plan to do that when all the law makers are eating them? Just to give you an example, do you think anyone cares about this, when what's for dinner is a higher priority to most people?

Honest. I'm against cruelty to animals. But the priority is all screwed up. There's child abuse. There's child health care. Rape victims. Battered women. How can we pretend to know what animal rights are when we cruelly mistreat our own kind. Let's get a handle on our OWN cruelty, THEN let's talk about felonizing idiots who hurt animals.

When we stop ripping babies apart and chucking them in the trash at a rate of 1.2 million a year for the sake of convenience , then I'll worry about animals.

Absolutely!!!

No, Laws are suppose to keep civilizations from becoming anarchy. so if a person kicked another person, they would be charged with assault, a simple misdemeanor, however under your plan, if they kicked a dog, they get 20 years in jail.(felony conviction for cruelty) also, they would lose rights such as voting. on the other hand, current laws state that if a person kills another person and it is an act of racial prejudice, they are charged with violation of civil rights, that carries a 5 year sentence. So, i think we need to leave the cruelty to animals issue alone, until we fix laws regarding ourselves.

Most definitely. They should get jail for it, and be banned (for life) from ever owning any pets of their own in the future.

Only if aborting/murdering babies is a felony.Michael Vick got 2 years in prison for fighting dogs,yet a fellow football player got only 24 days in jail for killing a man while driving drunk.It sad you hate people for animal crulety,yet have no problem with babies being slaughtered in their mothers womb.Lord help us.

Yes I do..

it depends some ppl consider the act of eating meat AC in this case no

if someone is actually hurting an animal just to be mean absolutely

I thought that in the US around 46 states had felony penalties for some forms of animal abuse now, though disgustingly some states only consider animal abuse a misdemeanor UNLESS THE ANIMAL IS A 'POLICE ANIMAL'! Ridiculous and nothing to do with animal welfare. Things would be a lot better if serious penalties were put in place. However, thank god the US is not as backward as China where, believe it or not, there are zero animal welfare laws!

Here is what I think about it.

..Whoops this was supposed to be a comment, stupid AB/computer not doing as its supposed to =/

If you can buy it at a pet store or from a breeder, then you have to realize that it's property. There's no way that it should be a felony.

Absolutely yes. People who torture animals are evil and definetly have the capacity to hurt people too. Animals are living, breathing, thinking, feeling beings and should not be used as toys for your entertainment. As far as I'm concerned, people who are into torture of complex animals or humans deserve the death sentence.

in some cases they can even put the death penalty on it, for all I care.

Would this be a felony?