Target: Thomas J. Vilsack, United States Secretary of Agriculture
Goal: Mandate psychological treatment for kids who commit acts of animal cruelty, to protect other animals and people.
It was over a year ago that Buddy the dog was found near death, with an extension cord tied around his neck and covered in burn marks from having been set on fire. The alleged perpetrator of this heinous crime: a 12-year-old Mississippi child. While this would typically be considered a felony punishable by up to three years in prison, children under 12 cannot be charged with a crime or evaluated according to Mississippi state law.
In the wake of much public outrage, officials created Buddy’s, law which went into effect on July 1st of 2022. According to Buddy’s law, any child convicted of torturing animals is required to receive psychiatric evaluation and treatment. Not only will this law protect thousands of animals from abuse, it will also possibly save the lives of many people, as there is a relatively well established link between animal abuse and later acts of violence towards humans.
Sign this petition to demand Buddy’s law be passed on a federal level and hold abusers in all states across the U.S. accountable for their crimes.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
Buddy’s law was recently passed in Mississippi after Buddy, a family dog, was found with an extension cord tied tightly around his neck and covered in burn marks. This terrible crime was allegedly committed by a child who, under the age of 12, couldn’t be charged with a crime or evaluated by the state.
Buddy’s law changes this. According to the law, any child convicted of torturing animals is required to receive psychiatric evaluation and treatment. Not only will this get children the help they need, it will also likely save animals and even other people. The correlation between early childhood acts of animal abuse and later acts of violence towards humans is relatively well-established, and perpetrators of crimes towards animals are typically capable of much more.
We are asking you, Mr. Vilsack, to encourage Buddy’s law to be passed on a federal level as an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: AmazonCARES
A crime this heinous should be prosecuted the same as an adult. They need psychiatric treatment while locked up, as well as the parents
At the very least that’s what should happen. And while the torturer is locked up and the parents also locked up for treatment and punishment, just as you said.
This is our society loser parents who cannot raise a child with proper guidance and love for all animals. I believe this boy is on his way to become a future or even a young criminal. He should be prosecuted to teach him a harsh lesson. He knows right from wrong! Everyday I read a cruel story like this one- does it ever end?
Criminal? More like he is on his way to becoming a killer of people too.
Absolutely. Let him go and it’s possible we could be reading about an automatic gun assault on his high school class. This is the mark of a very sick!!! person. SO, can’t charge him, charge his parents.
This little loser is 12 years old. That means he/she/it is not ‘under 12’ and should be eliminated. No need for psychos like this one or the parents who allowed it to happen.
In today’s world of violence and crime, no one, Adult or Child, should be excused from this kind of animal torture. These animals suffer horrific deaths and or torture. Children need to be held accountable for these kinds of crimes. I support mandating psychological treatment for kids who commit acts of animal cruelty. Buddy’s law should absolutely be passed on a federal level and to hold abusers in all States across America accountable for their crimes.
Little brat should have his/her ass beat! Not teaching them anything by letting them get away with this. If a child can think to do this and have no empathy for the poor dog they are psychopaths!
THIS IS A CRIME. HE SHOULD BE IN JUVENILE DETENTION. I THINK THE BOY SHOULD RECEIVE A MILD DOSE OF THE SAME TREATMENT SO AS TO LEARN THE FEELING THE DOG WENT THRU.
THEN CHILD THE PARENTS FOR CHILD NEGLECT. THEY SHOULD BE TEACHING HIM RIGHT FROM WRONG OR GETTING HIM THE TREATMENT HE NEEDS.
That wasn’t a “child” that did that. It’s a subhuman creature that needs to be euthanized.
Children 12 years of age know right from wrong and should not be excused of crimes such as this. This poor dog was tortured. Psychological treatment for the kids that commit acts of animal cruelty should be mandated in every state.
You right, governments around the world have to do something to change the laws and protect animals from this evil people
That’s the reason why we have so much criminals in this world because is no law for teenagers
Buddys Law was passed. That is not the issue. Issue is law MUST BE ENFORCED. This is on the law enforcement part that does not want to enforce this law. Like the vermin who put a knife in sharks head. That was illegal and LAW ENFORCEMENT DID NOTHING.
I would also hold the parents as responsible too. Any decent parent would teach the kid to show respect to living creatures. Of course there are exceptions like rats, mice, bugs. But you don’t torture them to death. This family dog did not deserve (or any family pet) the budding serial murderer kid (and his idiot parents). In fact, I bet you that this psychos parents lack empathy towards family pets (and other animals as well).
Just kill that kid!!!! That crime is horrendous!!!!! And don’t let the parents breed anymore.
I couldn’t agree more!
This vile, mentally deranged scumbag severe animal abusing brat and all other animal abusers most definitely requires instigation of the death penalty and nothing less.
This little sadistic brat needs to be in Juvie first, help later, which I doubt will do any good. They learn to play the councilors into believing they’re ‘good kids’. Sometimes, parents do raise them right, but it just doesn’t matter. The kid is going to do what the kid wants. And a slap on the wrist that the counseling will bring won’t do a thing. They need to see what it’s like on the ‘inside’. Sounds harsh? Yes. What was done to that dog was worse than harsh.
that poor dog wtf!!!!!! if this goes unpunished then all who had the power to do something about it ARE JUST AS GUILTY and HORRIBLE as this psychotic fu*king 12 yr old. Yes, that kid clearly needs very serious psychiatric help but someone said it earlier in the comments, that fu*ker knew right from wrong and did it anyway.. so bcz he did it to an innocent animal that makes it ok???? are we only going to step in after he mutilates a person? you know doing this to animals is the 1st step, right?? then why not persecute him and those fu*king parents who are just as culpable?? NO EXCUSE NOT TO….. NOT 1 EXCUSE
Your giving this kid a free ride. The kid and the parents especially the parents need to be prosecuted and serve jail or and prison time. This kid will probably become a life time criminal. Frankly I’ld hang the kid a set him on fire. No that wouldn’t work.
It shouldn’t matter how old the person is.
I’m so fed up with all the psychos of the world who like to hurt/kill some innocent animal getting away with that shit for whatever reason they are allowed to. It’s BULLSHIT!!!!
Not only prosecute and stick their worthless ass in prison (DO NOT CARE THEIR AGE) or in the nut ward (FOR LIFE .. NEVER TO BE RELEASED). And hope and pray someone does it to them .. whichever location they end up in.
This is beyond torture! So I believe the kid should be held accountable as an adult.
He will continue to commit heinous crimes and the law MUST STEP IN NOW!!! And he should surely feel what Buddy felt!!!!!
I hope today Buddy is getting his happy forever life!!! So sorry little Buddy…
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!!!!!!!
This psycho punk needs something more severe and preferably terminal. Psychological counseling isn’t going to do jack shit for this evil little prick.
This is so heinous that the people who did this should be tried as adults. They should get life sentences and be castrated so they can’t breed any more of their rotten gene pools.