Animal Cruelty Enforcement
Identifying and prosecuting individuals who hurt animals will help stop them from hurting people later.
The Enforcement Gap: Why Animal Protection Laws Fall Short
The direct link between animal cruelty and violence toward people is now widely recognized. By bringing charges against perpetrators of animal cruelty crimes, it assists with preventing individuals with a propensity for violence from further harming animals or turning that violence against humans. Many crimes, such as organized dogfighting and cockfighting operations, are almost always associated with other forms of criminal activity which range from gambling, drug trafficking, weapons possession, homicide, and gang activity…
Society and our U.S. lawmakers have made it explicitly clear that egregious acts of animal cruelty (including dogfighting, cockfighting, intentional torture, and bestiality) will not be tolerated in the USA and perpetrators of such crimes need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Unfortunately, enforcement of our federal animal protection laws continues to see lengthy delays, with many crimes going unprosecuted completely. According to the DOJ’s own records, between 2015 and 2019, less than 200 defendants were charged, convicted or sentenced for animal welfare offenses.
Establishing a Dedicated DOJ Division for Animal Cruelty Enforcement
The Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act will advance the effort to crack down on animal cruelty crimes in the U.S. Following a series of Congressional laws put in place to fortify the federal legal framework against the malicious mistreatment of animals, the ACE Act would establish a dedicated division at the U.S. Department of Justice to increase the investigation, enforcement, and prosecution of felony animal cruelty crimes.
Congress has been emphatic in passing statutes to eradicate malicious animal cruelty. A dedicated Animal Cruelty Crimes section at DOJ would allow for more effective enforcement of these crimes by designating personnel focused on these issues. DOJ already has dedicated sections on other important societal concerns, such as environmental protection, wildlife, and organized crime.
The ACE Act is a common-sense bill that animal advocates, domestic violence workers, law enforcement, and the average U.S. citizen can agree is the right policy for the United States.
Learn About Our Animal Cruelty Enforcement Campaign
Animal Wellness Action Offers $2,500 Reward in Bethel Park Kittens Cruelty Case
Animal Wellness Action Offers $5,000 Reward in Berea Cat Cruelty Case
Animal Wellness Action Applauds Federal Crackdown on Sadistic “Monkey Torture” Network, Renew Call for Passage of ACE Act
Animal Wellness Action Endorses Federal Legislation to Protect Law Enforcement Animals
Animal Wellness Action Condemns Apparent Torture of Wounded Coyote Captured on Video
Animal Wellness Action Offers $2,500 Reward in Investigation into Gruesome Deaths of Two Family Dogs Near Torrington, Wyo.
The Federal Government’s Negligence in Combating Staged Animal Fighting and Trafficking of Fighting Animal
Anti-Democratic Agriculture Committee Boss Blocks Consideration of Four Pro-Animal Amendments to House Farm Bill
Animal Wellness Action Offers $2,500 Reward in Wyoming Drive-By Shootings of Dogs
Animal Wellness Action Applauds Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for Arrest in Animal Cruelty Case; Highlights Hoarding as a Serious Form of Abuse
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy Condemn Proposed Plea Deal in Cody Roberts Animal Cruelty Case
Animal Wellness Action Offers $2,500 Reward in Lompoc Animal Cruelty Case
Conviction of New Hampshire Cockfighter Reminds Granite State Lawmakers of Value to Strengthen Federal Anti-Cruelty Laws
Cody Roberts Rightly to Face Trial for Cruel Treatment of a Wolf He Took Captive and Tormented
Animal Wellness Action Offers $2,500 Reward in Dog Decapitation
Animal Wellness Action Offers $2,500 Reward in Malicious Cat Shooting
Animal Wellness Action Offers $2,500 Reward in South Carolina Dog Shooting Case
Animal Wellness Action Offers $2,500 Reward in Spencer County Animal-Cruelty Case
Animal Wellness Action Offers $5,000 Reward for Information Leading to Arrest and Conviction in Riverside County Wild Donkey Attacks
Animal Wellness Action Announces $2,500 Reward in Oklahoma City Turtle Cruelty Case
Cody Roberts Indicted
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy Praise Grand Jury Indictment of Cody Roberts for Wolf Cruelty in Wyoming
Animal Wellness Action Doubles Reward to $10,000 in Heinous Animal Abuse Case After Viewing Graphic Photos of Dog’s Injuries
Animal Wellness Action Offers $5,000 Reward in Heinous Animal Abuse Case Involving Fireworks in Texas
Animal Wellness Action Offers $5,000 Reward After Grisly Discovery of Burnt Fawn in Baltimore County Maryland
Statement from Wayne Pacelle on Anemic Sentence for Virginia Man Who Killed 20 Bald Eagles and Hawks
Gottheimer, Malliotakis Introduce Bipartisan FBI Animal Cruelty Taskforce Act to Crack Down on Malicious Animal Abuse
Statement from Wayne Pacelle on Criminal Charges Against West Coast Game Park Safari Owner
Animal Wellness Action Applauds Arrest in Viral Opossum Burning Case but Calls for Full Accountability and Stronger Charges
Animal Wellness Action Applauds Oregon State Police and Federal Agencies for Taking Action Against Inhumane Roadside Zoo
Wayne Pacelle Issues Statement After Dog Brutally Burned Alive in Corpus Christi, Texas
Animal Wellness Action Says Arrest of North Carolina Man in Opossum Burning Case A Matter of Justice and Community Safety
Animal Wellness Action Offers $5,000 Reward for Turning in North Carolina Group who Set an Opossum on Fire and Posted Video
Our Offensive Against Cockfighting Crimes in Texas and on the U.S. Border with Mexico
Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Establish Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act
A Plea to Federal Law Enforcement to Address Cruelty and Its Consequences
Pennsylvania Legislature Passes Measure to Include Pets in Domestic Violence Settings
Shooting in Vermont was Preceded by Years of Animal Abuse
Victims of Mass Shooting of Animals in California Could Have Easily Been Children or Other Human Beings
Animal Wellness Action Offers $2,500 Reward for Information on Who Used Small Dog as Possible “Bait” for Dogfighting Training
Animal Groups Demand Formal Investigation into Alpine, Ala., Man Who Runs Sentinel K9 Services and Boasted of Abusing Dogs
Georgia Surgeon, Already Under Indictment for Wildlife Trafficking Crimes, to Host Clandestine Live Pigeon Shoot in Georgia, Potentially Adding More Crimes to His Profile
No “Rational and Plausible Excuse” for Gov. Noem’s Shooting Juvenile Dog
Animal Welfare, Conservation Groups Announce Intent to Sue in Wake of Wolf’s Killing in Wyoming
Dr Jim Keen, Veterinarian and Rancher, Calls on State of Wyoming to Revamp Wolf Policies or Face Federal Takeover of Wolf Management
Center for a Humane Economy Offers $15,000 Reward for Details Resulting in Arrest and Incarceration of Cody Roberts for Animal Cruelty
Animal Wellness Action Grants $2,000 Reward Money to Oklahoma City Woman for Turning in Oklahoma Man who Savaged and Killed Puppy
27 Veteran Law Enforcement Professionals Weigh in on Wolf Torture, Call for Felony Charges to Match Crime of Extreme Cruelty
Animal Groups Call on Wyoming Governor to Initiate Key Reforms to Protect Wolves from Abject Cruelty
Cody Roberts Violated Wyoming’s Anti-Cruelty Law When He Tortured Wolf That He Took Into Home and Bar, According to Legal Analysis by Animal Wellness Action
FACT SHEET: Enhancing Enforcement of Federal Anti-Cruelty Laws, download here
FACT SHEET: The Correlation Between Animal Abuse and Socially Dangerous Human Behavior, download here
PODCAST: Animal Abuse and the Connection to School Shootings, listen here
Why the Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act Matters | 4-3-25
