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Be a voice for the voiceless!!! help stop animal abuse and take action. that lady is about to abuse her dog. Are you really gonna let that happen, or are you going to stop THIS CRUELTY that people are doing to animals.

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How To Stop Animal Cruelty | Cesar's Way

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Animal Cruelty

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No matter the location or scale of deployment, the ASPCA is prepared to take on animal cruelty cases when needed-from assisting initial investigations to securing final placement of rescued animals in homes.

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No matter the location or scale of deployment, the ASPCA is prepared to take on animal cruelty cases when needed-from assisting initial investigations to securing final placement of rescued animals in homes.

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get involved!

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At the mere mention of Sarah McLachlan and ASPCA, animal lovers everywhere get teary-eyed, weepy with emotion. Now, with that in mind, think how abused and abandoned animals must feel: terrified, hurt, alone, unloved, like there is no hope. Regardless of the varying levels of intensity of such feelings in these animals, they are all in need of caring humans like you. The good news is that there are ways you can help to take away or alleviate these sad and fearful feelings. Are you on board?

From starting an online fundraiser for shelter animals to taking in a homeless pet for a time, there is always a way for you to contribute. So get your thinking cap on and get your research started with these six ways to get involved in helping abused or abandoned animals:

1. Participate in (or start) a fundraiser

Check with local animal shelters and rescues to see if they need any assistance with upcoming fundraisers. If you cannot physically be there to participate in a fundraiser, spread the word by way of social media, email, flyers, or informing the local media. Do you or your child want to start an individual fundraiser to help abused or abandoned animals? There are websites specifically set-up as free fundraising pages for animals like PetCaring.com which lets you create an online fundraising platform to raise money for the animal care organization you choose to support.

2. Volunteer at a farm animal sanctuary

Organizations dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused and abandoned farm animals such as horses, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, and turkeys are most always in need of several different forms of help: donate money for general expenses, give blankets and brushes, donate food and treats, volunteer to be a caretaker, volunteer to assist fundraising events, or sponsor a specific farm animal. Help farm animal sanctuaries spread the word of kindness and compassion!

3. Adopt a shelter pet

Unwanted pets are dropped off at animal shelters or abandoned on the streets to fend for themselves everyday. If you're ready for a new addition to your family, pets like these can really use your love. You will be saving an animal from a lifetime of loneliness and even from the possibility of being euthanized. Check out 10 Things You Need to Know Before Adopting Any Pet for important questions you should ask yourself first.

4. Foster abandoned animals

If you are not able or ready to adopt a pet, or you simply prefer to provide temporary housing for homeless animals, then consider fostering abused and abandoned pets that are living in your local animal shelters. Rescue organizations are also in need of foster pet parents. Doing so allows extra time for a pet to find a forever home, will help with socialization, and provides much needed love. Maybe you have specialized training in an area of animal care that a foster animal can benefit from while living with you.

5. Care for feral cats

These cats were once someone's pets before being abandoned or they're the offspring of feral cat parents. To help, construct a homemade shelter and leave food and water out at a scheduled time daily in a location out of the way of the public and neighbor's yards. Another way to get involved in helping feral cats is to become a Trap-Neuter-Return volunteer and caretaker. TNR improved the lives of these cats through population control and vaccinations against diseases. Read more about Trap-Neuter-Return here.

6. Report animal neglect and abuse

As a witness to animal abuse, report it to your local law enforcement, local animal control, or humane organization. If you truly believe an animal is in immediate danger, make this very clear to the officer so your report is made a priority. Whatever you do, do not take matters into your own hands. This can be a hard thing to do when an animal is in obvious distress, but you may end up putting yourself in a dangerous situation while trespassing.
Green Monsters: In what ways have you helped abused and abandoned animals? Image source: bfishadow / Flickr
Browse through some recent posts below:

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6 Ways to Get Involved with Helping Abused or Abandoned Animals - One Green Planet

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At the mere mention of Sarah McLachlan and ASPCA, animal lovers everywhere get teary-eyed, weepy with emotion. Now, with that in mind, think how abused and abandoned animals must feel: terrified, hurt, alone, unloved, like there is no hope.

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ways to stop

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Animal Abuse: A Problem That Needs to be Stopped.

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Some things that have already been done to help : -  Australia passed the Animal Protection Act in 2001, this increased the fines to a max.of $30,000 or one year (The Claws ). - 15/50 states...

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almost 60,000 dogs die every year because of abuse. Now, here is my question, do you really want to help, or are you some person reading this for entertainment?

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Because animals cannot speak for themselves, it's up to YOU to speak for them and report animal abuse that you witness or suspect.

If you want to help animals in your community, familiarize yourself with your state's laws, recognize the signs of abuse and be willing to report it.
How to report animal cruelty
Animal cruelty is illegal in every state (and a felony in 46). If you make a report of alleged animal cruelty, the responding agency is required to investigate.

Make the call: Most large municipalities have a local animal control department, animal shelter or humane society. Do an online search to identify the agency in your area, and program the number into your cell phone so you are prepared.

If you're traveling or living in a more rural area or community without an animal control agency, call the local police department (dial 911 to be most quickly connected) to report suspected animal abuse.

Document the details: When you make the call, tell the officer as many details of the situation as you can-i.e., the location, date and time, and descriptions of the people and animals involved. Video and photographic documentation (even a cell phone photo) can help bolster your case. It's also useful to give names of others who may have witnessed the incident.

Prepare to testify: While you may remain anonymous, the case will be much stronger if you are willing to identify yourself and testify to what you witnessed. Since animals cannot talk, a human witness is crucial for building a strong, prosecutable case.

If your community doesn't have an animal control agency and your local police seem unresponsive to animal cruelty concerns, there are steps you can take to get an animal welfare agency established in your town. Read about the issue here.

While direct violence is the most obvious form of animal cruelty, animal neglect is by far the most common type of abuse to which animal control officers respond.

A shocking number of animals die from neglect every year, right under the noses of the entire community. If you see an animal in distress don't assume that someone else will take care of the situation; take action! Pay particular attention to:

Chained dogs are most likely to die from starvation, dehydration or hypothermia, since their confinement renders them especially vulnerable and helpless.

Animals without shelter in extreme heat or cold.

Clearly emaciated animals: clearly visible bones and lethargy can be a sign of an untreated, life-threatening medical condition or imminent starvation.

Obvious, untreated wounds or other medical conditions: animals who are limping or otherwise demonstrating distress, and animals with multiple patches of missing fur and open sores need treatment.

Too many animals living on one property. This can be a sign of animal hoarding.

Dogs or cats inside abandoned homes. Reports of companion animals abandoned and left to die inside vacant buildings or apartment units are startlingly common. If you notice a neighbor has moved or has stopped coming around to a residence where you animals live, be extra vigilant.

Some dogs bark and whine to express their anxiety when they are left alone, but a dog who is howling or barking for more than a day sending out a clear signal that he's not being attended to. He may be injured or he may be abandoned. Try to find out if someone is at the residence, and if not, ask the authorities to investigate. If the neglect is ongoing or prolonged, it's often helpful to document it. You'll be better able to make your case and persuade authorities to take action if you if you've been able to take daily notes and photographs of the situation.

No reasonable, conscientious person would ignore a child being beaten, hit or kicked. Neither should anyone turn a blind eye to animal abuse!

If you witness overt violence against an animal or suspect it, speak up! If you don't feel comfortable directly intervening in a situation, quickly call the authorities. (If you don't have the appropriate number in your cell phone, dial 911.)

Knowing that s/he is being watched might startle the abuser into stopping the immediate act of violence, but ultimately, most cases are best left to law enforcement. It is especially important to involve law enforcement when violence is involved because the abuse is likely to be part of an ongoing pattern of violence that may include both animals and people. Don't delay; time is of the essence!
How are complaints investigated?
An officer will look into the complaint to see if animal cruelty laws have been violated. Some agencies have the power to obtain and serve warrants; other agencies work closely with local police who execute the search warrant on their behalf.

If a violation has occurred, the officer may speak with the owner and issue a citation and give the owner a chance to correct the violation. This is more likely in cases of animal neglect.

In other cases, animal neglect or abuse may be extreme and require the animals to be removed by a humane agency to protect them. The agency will present the case to the prosecutor's office for further evaluation and possible prosecution.
What role does The HSUS play in local animal abuse and neglect cases?
The Humane Society of the United States works with the public on individual cases of animal cruelty by providing rewards to citizens who provide information on animal cruelty and animal fighting leading to a conviction.

We also act on tips provided by the public and continually assist in handling animals at the request of local authorities in large-scale cruelty cases. Some of the most frequent types of cases we work on involve animal hoarding and massive neglect cases, as well as investigations into institutionalized cruelty within the livestock industry. We not only assist in the handling and rehoming of animals but also in the subsequent prosecution of each case.

The HSUS also provides assistance and resources to animal shelters, animal control professionals, investigators and prosecutors around the country on issues involving illegal animal cruelty and animal fighting. We provide educational materials, training opportunities, recommended operations guidelines and other expertise.

We also lobby at state and national levels to strengthen laws protecting animals, increasing the likelihood that animal cruelty will be taken seriously by the legal system. For more information on animal abuse and what you can do to strengthen animal cruelty laws in your state, please visit The HSUS' End Animal Cruelty Campaign.

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Because animals cannot speak for themselves, it's up to YOU to speak for them and report animal abuse that you witness or suspect. If you want to help animals in your community, familiarize yourself with your state's laws, recognize the signs of abuse and be willing to report it.

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you can help stop animal abuse.

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ANIMAL NEGLECT STEP 1: EVALUATE THE SITUATION
When attempting to evaluate what you may believe to be a case of animal neglect, take another look more closely at different times of day.

Food and water bowls might be kept inside away from bugs and freezing temperatures. The owner might leave for work at 3 a.m. and feed the dog then. There might be a dog door you can't see.
HERE ARE SOME SURE SIGNS OF ANIMAL NEGLECT: NO SHELTER
Animals need protection from the elements while outdoors to ensure their welfare and well-being.
COLLAR TOO TIGHT
A collar that is too tight can cause injury, strangulation, and death.
LACK OF GROOMING
Without regular grooming, a pet, especially a long-haired one, can get massive matting and sores.
MANGE
Mange, caused by tiny parasites, leads to itching, loss of hair and sores from scratching and biting to relieve the irritation. Mange is easily treated with medicated baths.
STARVATION
Inadequate nutrition can be caused not only by lack of food, but also by improper food, untreated disease and parasites (like worms).
STEP 2: REPORT ANIMAL ABUSE
If you witness animal abuse or neglect, report it to your local animal control, law enforcement, or humane organization. If these authorities agree that there's the possibility of neglect or abuse, they will investigate and decide how to help the animal.

Owners often neglect their pets because they don't understand their pets' needs. Humane officers help by explaining how to correctly care for pets. But some owners neglect their animals because they just don't care. When confronted by a humane officer, these owners may decide to give up the animal instead of being bothered with properly caring for him/her.

If the pet is seriously unhealthy or obviously abused, the humane officer may take him/her into protective care during the investigation. If charges are brought against the owner, you can offer to testify or sign a complaint. In the case of violent abuse, witnesses are rare, so you may be the only person who can testify about the incident.

Humane officers try to respond quickly to complaints but can't always respond the moment you call. If you're concerned for the animal's immediate safety, tell the officer or call-taker.

Don't try to rescue a pet from a potentially abusive or neglectful environment yourself. Not only is this illegal and potentially unsafe, but you haven't stopped the owner from getting another pet to abuse, or helped turn him/her into a caring, responsible owner.
STEP 3: UNDERSTANDING THE LAW
Anti-cruelty laws vary from state to state, and sometimes from city to city or county to county. The legal definitions of abuse, neglect or appropriate conditions may differ in each locality. The penalties for animal abuse may also differ.

Fortunately, society recognizes animal abuse as part of the cycle of violence and is calling for stronger penalties against abusers and more powerful enforcement capabilities. As a result, many states have added felony penalties to their anti-cruelty laws.

If you have questions about how the case will progress through your legal system, talk to the investigating officer or read the laws yourself.

Understand that once you have reported potential animal abuse or neglect, the investigating officer may not be able to discuss the specifics of the case with you. But that does not mean he's not working on it.
STEP 4: HELP PREVENT ANIMAL ABUSE
The key to preventing neglect is education. Many owners just aren't aware of how important affection is to a pet or even that a puppy can outgrow his/her collar.

The key to preventing abuse is stronger anti-cruelty laws - laws that empower effective enforcement and include harsh penalties. Serious penalties can inhibit cruelty and, with the addition of counseling as a penalty, stop the incidents from being repeated by offenders.

You can help prevent animal cruelty by informing others about what to do if they see such an act or by helping them to better understand how to train and care for their pets.
TO DO THIS YOU CAN:

Schedule a speaker from your local humane agency to talk at your service group, church or any clubs you belong to. Do the same for any children's groups, like scout groups, day-care centers, and schools.

Set up a brown-bag lecture series at your office, conducted by a humane agency, on pet care, basic behavior solutions, and animal welfare issues.

Get pet care and behavior pamphlets from your humane agency to distribute to any of your coworkers or friends with new pets.

Put together packets of treats and a pet-care book or video to give to friends who've just gotten a new pet. Include spay/neuter information, tags, and a vaccination record book. Obedience lessons make a great gift for a new puppy.

Support any initiatives to strengthen your state's anti-cruelty laws.

Write to your paper and TV station whenever animal cruelty stories appear. Tell them you support strong penalties for these abusers.

Contribute to or volunteer at your local shelter, where they must deal with these appalling situations regularly.

Now when you see a neglected or abused animal, you can act. Don't hesitate. Your call could save a life.

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Last Updated: May 2022 ANIMAL NEGLECT STEP 1: EVALUATE THE SITUATION When attempting to evaluate what you may believe to be a case of animal neglect, take another look more closely at different times of day. Food and water bowls...

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how many times have you seen a preview about dogs that made you cry, you wanting to help them so bad? well now you can!

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Esterilizar a una mascota es un procedimiento que brinda beneficios a la salud de tu amigo.

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dogs can even abuse themselves!
people make dogs kill each other for money and entertainment!! WOW that is cruel!

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A Closer Look at Dogfighting

What Is Dogfighting?

Although it is a felony offense in all 50 states, organized dogfighting still takes place in many parts of the country. Historical accounts date as far back as the 1750s, with professional fighting pits proliferating in the 1860s.

As with any other illegal underground activity, it is impossible to determine how many people may be involved in dogfighting. Estimates based on fight reports in underground dogfighting publications, and on animals entering shelters bearing evidence of fighting, suggest that the number of people involved in dogfighting in the U.S. is in the tens of thousands. While organized dogfighting activity seemed to decline in the 1990s, many law enforcement and animal control officials feel that it has rebounded in recent years, with the Internet making it easier than ever for dogfighters to exchange information about animals and fights.

Why Do People Get Involved in Dogfighting?

There are many reasons people are drawn to dogfighting. The most basic is greed. Major dogfight raids have resulted in seizures of more than $500,000, and it is not unusual for $20,000 - $30,000 to change hands in a single fight. Stud fees and the sale of pups from promising bloodlines can also bring in thousands of dollars.

For others, the attraction lies in using the animals as an extension of themselves to fight their battles for them and to demonstrate their strength and prowess. However, when a dog loses, this can cause the owner of the dog to lose not only money, but status, and may lead to brutal actions against the dog.

For others, the appeal simply seems to come from the sadistic enjoyment of a brutal spectacle.

Which Dogs Are Used in Dogfighting?

For professional and hobbyist dogfighters, the sale of pups from parents who have won several fights is a major part of their activity. Underground dogfighting publications and websites are commonly used to advertise pups or the availability of breeding stock. Many "street" fighters think they can also make money by breeding and selling dogs, but a great number of these animals are killed or abandoned if they fail to perform. Although there are many breeds of dogs used for fighting worldwide-including the Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, the Tosa Inu and the Presa Canario-the dog of choice for fighting in the United States is the American Pit Bull Terrier. Occasionally other breeds and mixes are reportedly used in street fights or as "bait" dogs used by some to train dogfighting victims.

This does not mean that the pit bull is unsuitable as a family pet. It is important to remember that any dog can behave aggressively, depending on the context, his genetic background and his upbringing and environment. When a dog is treated well, properly trained and thoroughly socialized during puppyhood and matched with the right kind of owner and household, he's likely to develop into a well-behaved companion and cherished member of the family.

How Are Dogfighting Victims Raised and Trained?

Dogs used for fighting must be kept isolated from other dogs, so they spend most of their lives on short, heavy chains, often just out of reach of other dogs. They are usually unsocialized to other dogs and to most people. However, many professional fighters invest much time and money in conditioning their animals. They are often given quality nutrition and basic veterinary care. The dogs are exercised under controlled conditions, such as on a treadmill.

The conditioning of dogfighting victims may also make use of a variety of legal and illegal drugs, including anabolic steroids to enhance muscle mass and encourage aggressiveness. Narcotic drugs may also be used to increase the dogs' aggression, increase reactivity and mask pain or fear during a fight.

Dogfighting victims used by all types of fighters may have their ears cropped and tails docked close to their bodies. This serves two purposes: First, it limits the areas of the body that another dog can grab onto in a fight, and second, it makes it more difficult for other dogs to read the animal's mood and intentions through normal body language cues.

Fighters usually perform this cropping/docking themselves using crude and inhumane techniques. This can lead to additional criminal charges related to animal cruelty and/or the illegal practice of veterinary medicine.

What Happens in a Dogfight?

Fights can take place in a variety of locations and at any time. They may be impromptu street fights in a back alley, or carefully planned and staged enterprises in a location specifically designed and maintained for the purpose. Usually the fight takes place in a pit that is between 14 and 20 feet square, with sides that may be made of plywood, hay bales, chain link or anything else that can contain the animals. The flooring may be dirt, wood, carpet or sawdust.

In a more organized fight, the dogs will be weighed to make sure they are approximately the same weight. Handlers will often wash and examine the opponent's dog to remove any toxic substances that may have been placed on the fur in an attempt to deter or harm the opposing dog. At the start of a fight, the dogs are released from opposite corners and usually meet in the middle, wrestling to get a hold on the opponent. If they do, the dogs grab and shake to inflict maximal damage. Handlers are not permitted to touch the dogs except when told to do so by the referee.

Fights can last just a few minutes or several hours. Both animals may suffer injuries, including puncture wounds, lacerations, blood loss, crushing injuries and broken bones. Although fights are not usually to the death, many dogs succumb to their injuries later.

Unless they have had a good history of past performance or come from valuable bloodlines, losing dogs are often discarded, killed or simply left with their injuries untreated. If the losing dog is perceived to be a particular embarrassment to the reputation or status of its owner, it may be executed in a particularly brutal fashion as part of the "entertainment."

What Are the Laws Related to Dogfighting?

As of 2008, dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In most states, the possession of dogs for the purpose of fighting is also a felony offense. Being a spectator at a dogfight is also illegal in all states. Laws and penalties vary widely by state.

On the federal side, the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 prohibits certain animal fighting-related activities when they have involved more than one state or interstate mail services, including the U.S. Postal Service. In 2007, Congress passed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act with strong bipartisan support. The Act amended the Animal Welfare Act and provides felony penalties for interstate commerce, import and export relating to commerce in dogs abused for profit, roosters who are forced to fight and cockfighting paraphernalia. Each violation can result in up to three years in jail and a $250,000 fine.

In 2014, the crucial elements of the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act were signed into law as part of the Farm Bill. This provision makes attending an animal fight anywhere in the U.S. a federal offense, and imposes additional penalties for bringing a child under 16 to an animal fight.

If Dogfighting Is So Widespread, Why Don't More Cases Come to Light?

Dogfighting is a violent and highly secretive enterprise that is extremely difficult for law enforcement and investigative professionals to infiltrate. A dogfight investigation requires many of the same skills and resources as a major undercover narcotics investigation, and challenges the resources of any agency that seeks to respond to it.

An additional complication is that the evidence likely to be seized in a raid includes the dogs-living creatures who must be taken care of and maintained while the judicial process unfolds. Most prosecutors would be happy to take on every dogfighting case they could, but they are limited by the human and animal care resources available to them.

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Although it is a felony offense in all 50 states, organized dogfighting still takes place in many parts of the country. Historical accounts date as far back as the 1750s, with professional fighting pits proliferating in the 1860s. As with any other illegal underground activity, it is impossible to determine how many people may be involved in dogfighting.

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dogs are getting hurt more than people. pet or not, how would you help?

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An absolutely horrific case of animal cruelty should have surprised no one.

Warning: Images below may be disturbing.

On March 28, prompted by an anonymous tip, the Gallatin County sheriff's office near Bozeman, Montana, was dispatched to a family-owned horse facility called Kountz Arena. The unnamed caller said that a horse was lying in a stall in his own excrement - and missing his left front foot.

The sheriff arrived at the facility and found a 22-year-old horse named Young Doc Bar on the property, according to an in-depth news report by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Dayle Kountz, the horse's owner, told authorities that Young Doc Bar's foot had been injured in December 2014 and it fell off sometime thereafter. The animal was never taken to a veterinarian.

Kountz also said his intention was to harvest more semen from the stud horse before shooting him dead.

The sheriff's office called a veterinarian to the scene. The veterinarian examined Young Doc Bar, as well as a comatose calf lying nearby. Kountz claimed the calf was fine, but the veterinarian disagreed. Kountz told the sheriff's office he would shoot both animals dead as a form of euthanasia.

The deputy gave Kountz a warning, requested proof of the shooting and closed the case (proof was ultimately sent to the sheriff's office).

However, after the incident a number of patrons of the arena came forward. Some showed earlier photos of Young Doc Bar with his ribs and bones sticking out of his body, living in a stall full of feces, his right leg also injured. Another woman said she was hired to work at the facility but quit due to the horrendous conditions for the animals, and was "scared" of Dayle Kountz. An investigation was launched by the sheriff's office.

And on May 18, Dayle Kountz arrived in court and faced two felony animal cruelty charges (the full affidavit can be read here).

For those following the case, it is now clear that the appalling abuse of Young Doc Bar and the innocent calf should have been prevented: Dayle Kountz had been previously convicted of cruelty to animals in Gallatin County 16 years ago, in 1999.

However, thanks to a perverse and inadequate legal system, Kountz and many like him are able to own and "care" for countless animals while having a track record of heinous crimes against them.

Often, this doesn't end well.

Legal loopholes

Scott Heiser, senior attorney and criminal justice program director for the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), says the accusations against Kountz are unsurprising. "The allegations in the affidavit from the current case demonstrate a pathological capacity to ignore the suffering of other sentient beings," Heiser told The Dodo. "The fact that [Kountz] has a prior conviction for neglecting an injured animal only reinforces that conclusion."

In the 1999 case, under Montana law, Kountz could have been prohibited from owning an animal in the future. But for whatever reason, the court did not make that decision, says Heiser.

Welcome to the many loopholes in the nation's legal system that allow animal cruelty offenders to repeat their crimes.

"About 14 states have some sort of law that allows a judge to order an ownership/possession ban on animals for a convicted animal abuser," explains Allie Phillips, director of the National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse.

For all other states, Phillips says, a ban can be requested by a prosecutor at sentencing, but is at the discretion of the judge. And there are limits to the sentence. First, the ownership/possession bans can last only as long as the term of probation. And second, although there have been "lifetime" bans on ownership, "who is going to oversee that for compliance?" asks Philips. In essence, while abusers are under probation supervision, it is easier to make sure that they do not obtain another animal.

But after that, she says, there is no oversight.

Databases: the holy grail of information?

What also adds to the inadequate protection of animals at the hands of recurring abusers is the remarkable absence of any central database listing animal cruelty crimes.

Thankfully, this might soon start to change. But making available comprehensive information on all the country's animal abusers is just as difficult as it sounds.

Beginning in 2016, the FBI will officially begin its collection of data on animal abuse, part of the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS): "Four types of animal abuse will be identified: simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse (dog and cock fighting) and animal sexual abuse," explains Kaema Akpan, attorney at the National Law Enforcement Center on Animal Abuse at the National Sheriffs' Association.

The database is a welcome addition for those wanting concrete data on how many animals are abused every year in the U.S. However, there are some significant kinks to the NIRBS, including the fact that only a "sworn" law enforcement officer can input the data into the system. Why is this significant? Sworn law officers often do not include animal control officers, who are frequently called to animal abuse cases.

Furthermore, adds Phillips, "not all police departments are part of the [NIRBS] reporting system" - which means the data will be limited, if not altogether spotty. In fact, Akpan says, a goal of the National Law Enforcement Center is to encourage sheriff's departments across the nation to take the database seriously and participate in the information gathering process.

In the meantime, ALDF is creating its own database, called the Do Not Adopt Database. It will specifically aid animal shelters and rescue groups that want to search whether or not potential adopters have been convicted of animal abuse, says Heiser.

This highlights another astonishing information gap: Despite the countless dogs who pass through the nation's shelter system, there is no requirement for shelters to even run background checks on potential adopters (note: There are a few exceptions). "Most states do not have a statute that requires a background check," Heiser says. "The good shelters are doing some form of a background check - although the percentage of 'good' shelters is undocumented."

Altogether, this means that the lack of a required background check in tandem with the rush to adopt can be a double-whammy problem: "Some shelters are just desperate to adopt out 30 dogs before the close of business on any given Friday, simply to avoid a mass euthanasia session over the weekend," says Heiser. A hypothetical example of this: "Someone walks in [to the shelter], pays 25 dollars and the shelter's kill statistics go down. Theoretically, it is a happy life for a lucky dog," says Heiser. "But statistically, without meaningful background checks, a number of these adopted dogs will end up suffering at the hands of abusers."

Abusers take all kinds of forms, explains Phillips. From people who want to control the animal, by, say, hitting a dog to stop him from barking, to those who exhibit aggression by using the animal in organized animal fighting, to non-specific sadism - an overall desire to inflict suffering, pain, torture or death.

But despite their overt actions, they can still own animals again.

Cases That Prove The Ugly Cycle

One example that both Heiser and Phillips point to is the case of Kandi Crow in Josephine County, Oregon. In 2012, according to T he Oregonian, 257 animals including miniature horses, dogs and llamas - many ill, neglected or starving - were seized from Krow's property; she was convicted on 44 counts of second-degree animal abuse. Crow was ordered by the court not to have any contact with animals.

She violated her probation a year later.

And this month, she's been convicted of violating her probation again, after authorities again discovered cats, dogs and miniature horses on her property.

In another disturbing case, a young woman named Elizabeth Lewis of Hamilton, Ohio, was convicted of animal cruelty in 2013 after her dog, Bruiser, was found emaciated at her home. The dog was so emaciated, a WLWT news report noted, he had to be euthanized.

Not only had Lewis been previously accused of animal cruelty, but she had been accused of animal cruelty with the same dog: Less than a year before, Bruiser had been so malnourished that the local dog warden had taken him to a nearby humane society.

But in that court case, the judge found Lewis not guilty - and gave Lewis her dog back.

Perhaps the most famous case in recent memory is that involving NFL quarterback Michael Vick. Vick was convicted and sentenced in 2007 on federal and state charges in relation to illegal dogfighting: He housed and trained more than 50 pit bulls, staged dogfights and brutally killed dogs in an operation called "Bad Newz Kennels."

Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $1 million as restitution for the dogs rescued from his fighting ring. He received three years' supervised probation and wasn't allowed to buy, sell or own dogs during that time.

Vick was released from prison in 2009 and eventually started working with HSUS and speaking out against animal cruelty.

In 2012, he got a new dog named Angel.

Prior to joining ALDF, Heiser worked as a prosecutor for 17 years and was attached to animal cruelty cases routinely. When asked if he thinks the number of cruelty cases is actually increasing, he says, "Absolutely, numbers are up." He says the rise is "due in large part to the mass hoarding cases where we see 100-plus animals per case." States have also enacted vet reporting laws and some now require arrests for animal abuse.

Heiser hopes both the NIBRS and the Do Not Adopt Database will help provide the information needed to reverse that troubling trend.

Meantime, back in Montana, while national reform slowly takes hold, the Kountz Arena case stands frighteningly tall as a real-time example of a broken system that allows those who have committed crimes against animals to easily repeat their offenses, again and again.

And maybe even again.

According to Sheriff Arlyn Greydnaus of Gallatin Country, Montana, Dayle Kountz still has a number of horses in the Kountz Arena - the same arena where Young Doc Bar suffered far beyond what any animal should ever endure: its website currently reads: "Young stock is always available, as we have a variety of mares in foal, yearlings and more to choose from. We can also negotiate training or lessons into any sale."

"Check back with our web site soon," it reads, "for pictures and videos of current prospects."

Learn more about what you can do to stop animal abuse here.

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Why Do People Who Abuse Animals Get To Own Them Again? And Again.

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An absolutely horrific case of animal cruelty should have surprised no one. Warning: Images below may be disturbing. On March 28, prompted by an anonymous tip, the Gallatin County sheriff's office near Bozeman, Montana, was dispatched to a family-owned horse facility called Kountz Arena.