Veterinarians - Not Required to Report Abuse in all U.S. States

​worldanimalnews.com/signatures-needed-to-demand-that-every-state-pass-a-mandatory-reporter-law-for-vets-to-help-protect-animals-from-abusive-owners/

As of now, there are currently 18 states that require veterinarians to report when they believe animals are being abused by their owners and 20 that suggest they report it but it is not required. This is especially alarming because a veterinarians job is to care for animals so I'm very surprised to learn that they are not ALL required to report abuse if they suspect it. This means that they willingly give back animals to owners who they know are abusing their pets, this doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever.

Let me start with what's obviously wrong, the animal abuse itself. Abusing defenseless animals is pathetic and abuses the privilege of owning an animal. These pets look to us to care for them and provide them with companionship so when someone abuses a pet, it's a complete disregard for the relationship one is supposed to have with their pets. These poor animals live their lives unknowing of what they've done wrong to deserve the abuse and unaware of what true love feels like from a compassionate owner. It sickens me to think that there are so many people out there who would raise a fist to an animal without even batting an eye. It's disgusting.

Secondly, as the report suggests and as I've reported in the past, animal abuse is a tell tale sign of worse things to come. Often times, animal abuse is simply a starting point for someone who's already broken. Once they tire of abusing animals, they will move on to other targets which include children, women, and the elderly. In cases of mass shootings, there has been links to animal abuse that had it been reported, perhaps these people could have been stopped and potentially helped before they reached a breaking point that pushed them to do unthinkable acts.  Not every case of animal abuse leads to these sorts of mass killings but if there's a link, that's reason enough to make it mandatory that vets report the abuse.

In my opinion, it should be mandatory that animal abusers are reported and dealt with accordingly by the police. They should never have an animal returned to them by a veterinarian who is aware that they are abusing their pets. To me, this is a clear violation of a veterinarians responsibility which is to care for pets. How can someone who is paid to care for animals knowingly hand an animal who suffered abuse back to the abuser?

That's why it is so important to follow the link to the original story at the top of the post and sign the petition making it mandatory for all U.S. states that veterinarians must report animal abuse. Without this ruling, animals who are being abused will most assuredly be abused again and the people committing those abuses will continue to abuse m,roe animals and potentially progress into human abuse as well. The only way to stop it is by signing the petition and lending your voice!@

HAPPY VEG