Nationwide Animal Abuse Registry

Animal cruelty is a serious problem in the United States, resulting in the abuse of thousands of animals each year. All 50 states now have felony provisions for the gravest crimes against animals, but many of these offenses are still considered misdemeanors. Unlike violent crimes against people, cases of animal abuse have not always been compiled by state or federal agencies, making it difficult to calculate just how common they are.

The Federal Governement refuses to protect our animals with a registry much like they do to protect our children, wo we're doing it for them. Tennesee is the only state to have a statewide Animal Abuse Registry and other states have considered such registries but those have failed in committees or in general legislation.

An animal abuse registry is viewed by many as a way to help protect not only the animals in a community, but also the people; help police and the public identify potential criminal behavior and convicted animal abusers; assist shelters and animal organizations with screening out convicted abusers who may be trying to adopt again; and allow pet stores, other animal vendors, and employers an opportunity to check that prospective owners and employees are not on the registry.

Generally modeled after registries kept for sexual offenders, the very few animal abuser registries that do exist publicly reveal names, dates of birth, offenses, conviction dates, registration expiration dates of known animal abusers, and more. These registries are, essentially, a valuable asset. They have become quite a useful tool for keeping our beloved companion animals out of harm’s way.

Until the federal governement establishes and launches a nationwide animal abuse registry, the U.S. Animal Abuse Registry will continue our work to protect our fur babies from the monsters that hurt them.