In the U.S , nearly 66,000 dogs and 21,000 cats are subjected to testing every year.(Rauch,2015) In a report done by ASPCA Defining animal cruelty ranges from person to person based on how they perceive it be some of the typical interpretations of defining it include abuse, neglect, animal testing, misinformation and or ignorance towards de animal. (Rauch,2015)Its is not just cats and dogs that are abused but also rabbits, mice, birds and amphibians are susceptible to animal especially since they can be used for cosmetic purposes. The truth is, cases on animal abuse are not typically reported, but its is an obvious and clear problem the United States is facing nationwide and now people are speaking up for laws to be passed to prevent it even if it ranges from state to state. For example in Texas, the House Bill 653 and the Senate Bill 1724 were passed along with other was to prevent domestic animal abuse and and an attempt was the Humane Cosmetics Act.
In Texas,the House Bill 653 and Senate Bill 1724 were passed on September 1,2001 after a tragic case of animal abuse. The law became known as “Loco’s Law”, named after a dog called Loco was found in Dallas that had gone through severe abuse. Loco was stolen of his home and when he was found, he had his eyes had been gouged out and was in a critical state. After he had been found, attempts to save him were starting to become hopeless since according to his owner, Greg , he quoted “He developed cancer on his jaw about 3 months ago and over the last week he started to really go downhill, so it was time. Very tough day.”(Powell,2018). People nationwide were moved by his death and Texas had their attention to see how legislators would respond and then they passed the House Bill 653 and Senate Bill 1724. Loco’s tragic death due to abuse paved the way for many more states to start to pass laws against animal abuse/cruelty . In Texas, it is now a felony to commit such a horrible crime (animal abuse/cruelty) and those who commit it, can get fined up to 10,000$ and or up to 2 years in prison. States who had not considered animal cruelty to be a crime, started to pass laws to help to prevent it. According to Animal Legal Defense Fund, states were ranked on how what states are best and worst for animal protection laws. The among some of the states that had received the highest overall rank was Washington, D.C.(Animal Legal Defense Fund,2018). Washington’s law punishes those who commit animal cruelty from getting a maximum 5 year imprisonment and or a 25,000$ fine, which is to be issued as the highest punishment.(Stray Pet Advocacy,2003) Furthermore, along the list of the highest ranking states was Texas. The state to have received the highest ranking was Illinois. Illinois law for protecting animals is “exemplar” known its highest punishment is for a Class 4 felony is 1 to 3 years in prison and/or a 25,000$ fine. Those who do commit the crime have to undergo psychological and mental evaluation. The laws that were mentioned are steps to help prevent the nationwide issue of animal abuse which has become obvious and clear, but more measures are trying to be taken to not only prevent animal abuse domestically but also in professional facilities in which animal cruelty is not seen to the public eye.
An attempt to prevent animal cruelty in professional facilities was the Humane Cosmetics Act. The Humane Cosmetics Act aimed to ban animal cruelty in professional facilities where animals are experimented on for product purposes. Some examples facilities using animals for the experimentation are cosmetic facilities. Currently, cosmetic companies still experimenting on animals are Avon, Benefit, Clinique, Estee Lauder and Bobbi Brown, which is owned by the same brand. (PETA, 2019). Experiments conducted on animals can be easily replaced but companies choose not to. For example experiments regarding skin irritation tests on rabbits can be replaced with EpiSkin or EpiDerm;In vitro reconstructed human epidermis test methods for skin corrosivity.(Animal Welfare Institute,2018) This is a potential solution to banning once and for all animal cruelty in the United States.
Overall the ultimate solution to bring an end to animal abuse lies in the hands of people speaking out for the animals and the government listening to the people’s needs. Volunteers in animal shelters and organizations help especially in getting the word out about the mistreatment of animals near their area. One can personally relate since nearby, animal shelters truly do help to get the word out about how one can get involved into animals lives and help to impact them either by fostering or adopting an animal.
