Sign the Petition
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
