Profile:  Dr. Max is a 9-year-old Shih Tzu living in Riverdale, NY.

Qualifications:  Ph.Do., PUNY (Pooch University of NY), MA in Psychology, Mutger's University, NJ; BS, Poundston College, NJ.

Mission statement:  To educate and bring to light issues that affect all animals but in                                                           particular dogs.  

Hi everyone.  Dr. Max here.  I wanted to talk to you about my future plans and bring you up to date on legisalation affecting animals.  I have changed my tone here in that this blog is very serious but the topic cannot be light.  

With the political climate that we find ourselves in, I am concerned about the rights of animals in the United States of America.  Therefore, I am considering running for president in 2020 but will wait to see how things go regarding the rights of animals.  

It is important that the law recognizes legal rights of animals.  After all, animals are put down if they attack humans so isn’t fair that humans be held responsible for cruelty to animals?

I think it is time, that we look to Canada and their legislation to protect animals.  

Quebec welcomed pets into the circle of “sentient” beings by granting them many of the same rights as children in the eyes of the law. The legislation, hailed as the “Animals are Not Things Manifesto“ lifts the legal status of particular animals from small property, i.e. inanimate objects like toaster ovens and iPhones that can be manipulated any which way, to sensitive, emotional beings that require nurturing and respect.

Quebec’s new regulations addressed the psychological care of dogs, cats, horses and certain wild animals, requiring that each animal is given constant stimulation, socialization, and environmental enrichments. Any actions or activities that expose an animal to extreme anxiety or suffering are subject to legal consequences.

Animals have biological needs, said Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis, whose legislation includes fines of up to $250,000 for those who are cruel to animals as well as jail time for repeat offenders.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-bill-calls-animals-sentient-beings-and-includes-jail-time-for-cruelty-1.3102399   6/5/2015

Before passing this law, Quebec had a bad reputation regarding animal abuse, but they stepped up.

Canada is showing itself to be a progressive country both ethically and empatheticly.  I told Mama we should consider moving there.  

In 2014, France changed the definition of pets from “movable goods” to “living beings capable of feelings”.  In France, dogs are allowed into restaurants.  I have been to outdoor restaurants in America, and I have been very well behaved.  

Now is the time for America to rewrite its own legislation regarding animal welfare. Collectively you can lift dogs into the realm of beloved family members where they ultimately belong.  The mandatory sentence for the felony charge of animal abuse is 2 years in the USA.

If humans have bonded with dogs and they have become so intertwined in our lives then how can we be considered property?  We guard human property as well as our people.  We will give our lives to protect our humans. We are not property - we are family.  

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that animal abuse will be prosecuted as a crime against society and under the new categorization they will begin tracking and collecting information about incidents of animal cruelty and the perpetrators.

Read more at http://dogtime.com/reference/dog-laws/21735-fbi-makes-animal-abuse-a-crime-against-society#RC4hdlLmLMq7Rvid.99     

According to the FBI, the official definition of animal cruelty will be:

Intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly taking an action that mistreats or kills any animal without just cause, such as torturing, tormenting, mutilation, maiming, poisoning, or abandonment. Included are instances of duty to provide care, e.g., shelter, food, water, care if sick or injured, transporting or confining an animal in a manner likely to cause injury or death.  Also, causing an animal to fight with another; inflicting excessive or repeated unnecessary pain or suffering, e.g., uses objects to beat or injure an animal. This definition does not include proper maintenance of animals for show or sport; use of animals for food, lawful hunting, fishing or trapping.

This new FBI categorization is intended to improve the way crimes against animals are tracked nationwide and could help bolster state animal cruelty laws across the United States. All 50 states now have felony animal cruelty provisions. On March 14, 2014, South Dakota became the final state to enact a felony provision for animal cruelty. The new FBI categorization is significant because it affirms that at the highest level of our government animal cruelty is recognized as a violent crime. As a civilized society, our opposition to all forms of animal cruelty must be unwavering.

There’s a national consensus that animal abuse should indeed be treated as a serious crime. Now animal cruelty will be a Group A felony. The new classification will make it easier to get harsher sentences and to identify young offenders. Because cases of animal cruelty, including animal neglect, will now be included in the FBI Uniform Crime Report law enforcement agencies have more incentive to pay attention to any incidents, and statistics on these types of crime will be more accurate and detailed. It will take some time to update FBI and law enforcement databases nationwide, so no data will be collected until January 2016, and then it’s projected to be several more months before there are numbers to analyze. (This was written in 2015).

Read more at http://dogtime.com/reference/dog-laws/21735-fbi-makes-animal-abuse-a-crime-against-society#RC4hdlLmLMq7Rvid.99

Vicki Clinebell  

**At this time I have no information regarding the FBI database for humans abusing animals.

Let’s not forget that sociopaths start their training by hurting/killing animals.  Early intervention and recognition of these perpetrators can help to identify potential criminals.  

This sounds very "Minority Reports"  but I believe it is still helpful.

Don't forget to check out Mama's website because she has blogs on there that you may find interesting.  She doesn't write about treats or chicken sausages so I don't find them too compelling.  www.psychotherapybyita.com