According to Arizona Statute 13-2910 et. Seq., animal cruelty can be defined as, "Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly subjecting any animal to cruel neglect or abandonment" (Otto, 2007). In addition to that, much is also involved in animal abuse. For instance, failing to provide medical attention to an animal or causing any physical injuries to the animal is considered a crime. Moreover, when one harms an animal or kills it without legal consent from the owner, they commit a crime. This paper will provide an insight into what dog fighting involves and the consequences that one suffers for animal cruelty in the state of Arizona.
Dogfighting is one of the many forms of animal cruelty. It involves taking two dogs trained for a long time to battle each other. Most of these animals are raised in isolation and are heavily chained (ASPCA, 2016). They are conditioned to fight by giving them drugs that make them aggressive. Dogs taken to fight usually have their tails and ears cropped, and this is done through cruel techniques. Dogfights are fatal since most of these animals succumb to injuries, which might result in death later on (ASPCA, 2016). Therefore, in order to avoid this, the state of Arizona, as well as other states, have come up with laws for this criminal act in order to end this kind of violence to animals. Some of the consequences imposed on criminals found guilty of this act are as discussed below.
One of the penalties for involved in animal cruelty is getting misdemeanor charges. For instance, knowingly or intentionally treating an animal in a cruel way is considered class ‘A' misdemeanor. When this results, the penalties include a $2500 fine or getting six months jail term. Animals are living things and just like humans, and they should be treated with love and care. The imposed fine justifies that animals too have a right to protection and should not be treated in a cruel way (JacksonWhite, 2016).
The second sequence of committing animal cruelty is the felony charges. Compared to misdemeanor charges felony charges are extreme. However, this is because the type of cruelty involved is more intense. Some of the cruelty that can lead to felony charges include killing the animal, mistreating the animal and subjecting it to cruel neglect. For instance, one may decide to starve the animal by not giving it food, hence causing it to be thin and die of starvation. When such cruelty happens, the suspect may be charged with class 6 felony, which would attract a $150,000 fine or translate to 18 months incarceration (JacksonWhite, 2016.). In addition to that, one found guilty could be denied ownership of an animal for three years, be involved in community service or experience restitution.
Engaging in exhibitions of animal fighting could also attract federal charges for the guilty. This includes engaging in animal fighting exhibitions for personal gain or pleasure and causing animals to fight or injure each other. This kind of act is punishable by class 5 felony, which involves a jail term of 6 months as a minimum to a maximum of two years (JacksonWhite, 2016). Surprisingly, this criminal law does affect not only those who are directly engaging in making these fights to happen but also those present in the fights. For instance, any person present at an animal fight, e.g. dogfight is guilty of class 6 felony. This ensures that those who engage and support these activities are brought to justice.
References
ASPCA. (2016). Dog Fighting | American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Retrieved July 24, 2016, from http://www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/dog-fighting
JacksonWhite. (2016). Animal Cruelty in Arizona. Retrieved from http://www.jacksonwhitelaw.com/criminal-defense-law/animal-cruelty/
Otto, S. K. (2007). Confronting Animal Neglect in America: Current Law and Future Possibilities. Retrieved from Animal Legal Defense Fund. Website: http://aldf.org/downloads/298_confrontinganimalneglecti.pdf
