Animal cruelty is when an animal is not treated well, such as not feeding, housing or caring for an animal properly and keeping it healthy. It is against the law to neglect, be cruel to, or harm animals, even your own pets.

According to Massachusetts law, anyone accused of animal cruelty can be punished. For the first time being charged with animal cruelty, penalties can include: up to 7 years in prison, fines of up to $5,000, giving over the animal or animals being treated cruelly, and being forbidden to work at a job involving animals. For the second and subsequent offenses penalties can include: up to 10 years in prison, $10,000 fines or more, and giving over the animal or animals being treated cruelly and are still forbidden to work at a job with animals, such as: being a veterinarian, zookeeper, pet shop owner, farmer, animal breeder, or dog trainer. These penalties are sevre in order protect animals and the community.
       

It is important to enforce the animal abuse laws because reaserch studies show that it keeps the whole comunity safe. For example:

“Results from a study at northeastern university indicate that 70 percent of those who committed crimes against animals had also been involved in other violent, property, drug, and disorderly crimes. The study also concluded that a person who has committed animal abuse is:

5 times more likely to commit violence against people
4 times more likely to commit property crimes
3 times more likely to be involved in drunken or disorderly offenses” 

Therefore, the whole community is safer if you enforce animal cruelty laws because you protect animals and prevent other crimes as well. Local police should pay more attention, investigate animal abuse or neglect complaints and prosecute offenders.
       

There are also many dilemmas in animal abuse. For example people need animal products for clothes and food, but we shouldn't kill innocent animals for our needs. It is also important to do science experiments on animals to test products before humans use them, but it is cruel to subject animals to experimentation. Animals don’t like being in cages and the experiment may be painful or leathal. Circuses and animal fights are entertainment to some people but animal fights are cruel because the make them fight to the death and bet on which one will win. Circuses keep animals in captivity and sometimes don’t treat them well. Zoos and aquariums are educational, teach about animals and preserve endangered species for people to see, but zoos and aquariums are keeping animals in captivity and don’t always treat them well.
       

Therefore, protecting animals makes the whole community safer because it reduces the amount of violence and cruelty in society. As a result, the whole comunity is safer and healthier. We can all stand up against animal cruelty by supporting organizations that protect animals.