I'm am putting this under educational because I want to EDUCATE people about what animal abuse can cause. The scarring, the pain, the problems it can cause in the animals that DO manage to survive the HORRID treatment that cruel people put them through. Here is a Horrid aritcal I encountered in my local paper. Plus 1 story, of a local area possibly taking action.

ARTICAL:
Family offers reward for details about dog's shooting
Location: Watervliet, New York

Imagine this, you tie your dog in the back yard for a few hours to get some air, go to the bathroom etc. You go out, a few hours later to let your dog in, to find him bleeding, you take him to the vet thinking he hurt himself somehow. You get him to the vet, but shockingly, your vet tells you, your dog's wound is from a GUNSHOT. You're dog is admitted for a few days for treatment & observation, then a few days later, released, expected to recover. Unfortunately to die after playing outside after his release. This Horrible scenario was reality to the Mercer family of Watervliet, New York. They tied their 1 year old Brittany Spaniel, Timmy, out in the yard, to do his thing & get some air...not unusual on October 3. He went out to let the dog in after a few hours to find Timmy, their 1 year old puppy bleeding. Rushing Timmy to the hospital, Mr. Mercer thought Timmy had somehow hurt himself, or gotten wounded by an animal, but as I said above, was told by his veterinarian that the puppy had been shot by a pellet gun. Timmy was kept for several days for observation & treatment, then released, expected to live. On October 9, Mr. Mercer was playing with the puppy, suddenly, the puppy collapsed & died. The veterinarian said he believes a blood clot caused by the pellet wound killed the Mercer Children's beloved Puppy. The Mercer's are offering $100 for ANY information that anyone might have leading to who caused the horrid death of their beloved puppy. The officer on the case noted that there is no active investigation because without more information, there is nowhere else to look.

ARTICAL:
L.I County making list of animal abusers
LOCATION:
Farmingville, New York
Megan's Law-you've heard of it-a Law designed for keeping sex offenders from striking again. WELL, what about a law SIMILAR to Megan's law, designed for keeping ANIMAL ABUSERS from striking again? There is a movement in place to pass 1 such law in Suffolk County, the eastern half of Long Island in New York. It will the nation's FIRST animal abuse registry. It requires people convicted of animal abuse to register, face jail times & fines, much like sex offenders in Megan's Law have to register for sexual offenses. The bill's sponsor, Jon Cooper, the Suffolk County Legislator was quoted as saying "We know there is a very strong correlation between animal abuse & domestic violence Almost every serial killer starts out by torturing animals, so in a strange sense we could end up protecting the lives of people". The list, which, also like the Sex Offender Registry, will be posted online, will be open to the public, so that pet owners or anyone nearby can find out whether someone living near them is on that list. Some animal abusers have been known to steal there neighbors pets. Cooper is also pressuring legislation to bar anyone on the registry from buying or adopting an animal from a shelter, pet shop, or breeder. The law was prompted a number of animal abuse cases in recent months, including that of a Selden, New York woman accused of forcing her children to watch her torture & kill DOZENS of kittens & dogs, then burying them in the back yard. Animal welfare activists hope the la will inspire goverments nationwide in the same way Megan's Law registries for sex offenders have spread in the past decade. The law was passed on Tuesday October 12, 2010 in suburban New York City county of 1.5 million people. What do YOU think, should This registry, like Megan's Law, be mandatory EVERYWHERE in the US?

This last article involved the reference of Megan's Law, SO, for those who DO NOT know what Megan's Law IS, or what it's about, Here is the ENTIRE description & brutal background of the law:
Megans Law originates in New Jersey, & any American pretty much knows what it is & knows what it's about. For those who don't, the official definition is: An unofficial name for laws in the United States requiring law enforcement authorities to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders. Individual states decide what information should be available & how the information should be spread. The REASON for the name & law itself of Megan's Law is as follows: Mr. & Mrs. Kanka did NOT know that the man across the street from them was convicted TWICE of violent sex-offences upon children. They didn't know until it was too late. Until he raped & killed their 7 year old daughter Megan Kanka. This happened only months after similar Monmouth County incident. It evoked allowance of state laws ordering warnings about sex offender who may pose a risk to the community. It's also known as New Jersey's Law & it requires local sex offenders to register with the Police Department, which the Police Department then makes available to the public, so parents can keep their children safer. Details about Megan's Law: It establishes a 3 tier notification process to provide information regarding offenders, made available to law enforcement agencies &, when appropriate, the general public. The type of information is based on an evaluation is based on the risk to the community a specific offender. The Attorney General's Office, in consultation with a special council member, has provided county prosecuters, who must make that evaluation, with the factors to be used in determining the level of risk posed by the offender. Equipped with the descriptions & whereabouts of these offenders, the community will be able to better protect there children.