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We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:

We the people, ask that a legislation be enacted which shall be named “Mercy’s Law”

Target: State Legislators, U.S. State Officals
Sponsor: Anita Solomon
  • Signatures: 9,501
  • Goal: 10,000
  • Deadline: 12-31-2009
Mercy

The recent torturous act against a dog named Mercy, (click here for story) causing her to die a slow and agonizing death, despite all efforts to save her, has touched the hearts of thousands across the country.  Her gut wrenching story has also triggered outrage and has now become a “wake-up” call regarding the rise in cases of torture and mutilation of animals. 

There is also the case of Mooie, (click here for story) the pup doused with acid and left to die in excruciating pain, and found by children!  Many of these murdered dogs have been discovered by young children.  Another dog was found hung and beaten to death…by children.  If we as adults have difficulty just reading these horrific cases, just imagine how it must have been for these young children to discover these animals!  Think about the psychological effect this will have on them. 

It is time to act.  It is time to say “enough” is “enough”.  It is time to realize that your pet, or your child, or even you can be a victim.  It is time for the judicial system to act upon these cases in a more aggressive manner.  It is time for our Government to realize that we aren’t “crazed animal activists”, but concerned, compassionate humans afraid for our very own society.  (This is a petition that you can forward to YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS click here).

Therefore, we the people, ask that a legislation be enacted which will be named “Mercy’s Law”

mercy

 










(What is Mercy's Law?)  Continued below signatures


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Number Date Prefix Name State Country Does your State already have sufficient laws and penalties for animal torture ?
9,522 4:27 pm PST, Nov 17 Mrs. Gabriela Zambrana   Bolivia Considero que ningún país tiene estipuladas las suficientes leyes para proteger a los animales, debería implementarlas ahora mismo...urge sancionar tanta crueldad
9,521 4:36 am PST, Nov 13   Sharon Lacey   Japan No!!
9,520 9:46 am PST, Nov 12 Mrs. Anonymous Vermont United States unknown
9,519 5:49 am PST, Nov 7 Mrs. Manon Gauthier   Canada je croit qui oui mais ses jamais asser
9,518 1:03 pm PST, Nov 2   Anonymous Texas United States No
9,517 5:20 pm PDT, Oct 29   Anonymous Texas United States They have laws but they are not forceful enough to make offenders take cruelty seriously.
9,516 1:32 pm PDT, Oct 24 Mr. Anonymous California United States NO
9,515 10:42 am PDT, Oct 23   Helle Collin   Denmark No - sadly no...
9,514 8:59 am PDT, Oct 23   Brian Crowley New York United States NY has a good start on decent animal cruelty/neglect laws but enforcement is weak.Police need to be brought up to speed.
9,513 6:01 pm PDT, Oct 18 Mrs. Darlene Falzarano New Jersey United States not that I know of
9,512 9:44 am PDT, Oct 5   Geneviève Garand   Canada No!
9,511 11:40 pm PDT, Oct 4 Mrs. Heather Olvier North Carolina United States No, abusers get a slap on the hand at the most in Gaston County North Carolina. Our animal control does terriable thing to our homeless dogs as well.
9,510 4:04 pm PDT, Sep 27 Mr. Eduardo Amaro   Portugal No they dont, unfortunately its like a third world country in matters of animal protection.
9,509 8:05 am PDT, Sep 20 Mrs. Carmen Arey Pennsylvania United States not enough
9,508 8:43 am PDT, Sep 12 Ms. Barbara Sultan   Netherlands no
9,507 8:11 am PDT, Sep 9 Ms. katira tejeda Massachusetts United States no, we need all we can get for the animals to be safe.
9,506 12:18 pm PDT, Sep 7 Mrs. Gail Costic Pennsylvania United States NO!!!
9,505 8:44 am PDT, Sep 6 Ms. Deborah Kavanaugh Virginia United States no
9,504 10:06 pm PDT, Sep 5 Ms. sonia beccheri   Brazil NO
9,503 8:54 am PDT, Sep 5 Ms. ruchi gupta   India no
9,502 9:30 am PDT, Sep 4 Mrs. joni moretti New Jersey United States No. But they need to.
9,501 7:02 am PDT, Sep 3 Ms. MARIA PAPADOPOULOU   Greece no
9,500 10:29 pm PDT, Sep 2   Kim Larsen Florida United States Not enough.
9,499 7:18 pm PDT, Sep 2 Mrs. Lib Grimmett Texas United States I am not sure what TX laws are with respect to animal cruelty but I think it should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and then some. God gave us dominion over the animals to care for them and in some cases, for food, but always with respect. Animal cruelty is disgusting and must be stopped. `
9,498 10:37 am PDT, Sep 2 Ms. susan burgoyne   United Kingdom yes but im not sure what they are
9,497 10:24 am PDT, Sep 2 Ms. anissa plyler Louisiana United States no
9,496 10:24 am PDT, Sep 2 Mrs. christiane page   Spain stop torture for animals
9,495 4:42 am PDT, Sep 2   GIOTA PAGRATI   Greece no
9,494 3:44 am PDT, Sep 2 Dr. Úrsula Aragunde Kohl Puerto Rico Puerto Rico No
9,493 3:34 am PDT, Sep 2 Mrs. lucy goodwin   United Kingdom do something about this cruel sick arse who did this the same thing should happen to him burn in hell.
9,492 3:09 am PDT, Sep 2 Ms. m porter   United Kingdom Disgusting! Sickos like this don't deserve to breath!
9,491 1:28 am PDT, Sep 2 Ms. Airian Lithe   Greece no
9,490 12:43 am PDT, Sep 2   Todd Hess Washington United States The animal cruelty laws are just not strict enough. And the penalties do not get enforced as they should. It's disgusting that paid employees that are supposed to be there to protect and serve can be as heartless and noncaring as they are. What good are these laws if they are not going to be carried out? The laws need to continue to get stricter and be enforced to the extent of the law. The agencies need to learn to do their jobs and work together instead of passing the buck.
9,489 12:17 am PDT, Sep 2 Ms. Anonymous California United States I don't think CA has much if anything regarding sufficient laws or penalties for animal torture.
9,488 12:13 am PDT, Sep 2 Ms. Hali Burton California United States Torturing animals is not just cruel; studies show it leads to crimes against people. We share this planet with all the creatures - what gives us the right to show our dominance by causing pain and death to innocent animals? Please pass this law!
9,487 11:42 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Debbie Hess Washington United States Our animal cruelty laws are a joke! They are nowhere near strict ENOUGH, and do not even come close to fitting the crime. The penalties are not a deterrent whatsoever. Our government is not protecting abused animals nearly enough, and I'm ashamed that they care so little. That in itself is a crime. Why on earth should these brutal abusers & torturors get any leniency? To stop this it needs to be made no nonsense. These laws are way overdue.
9,486 10:58 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Lisa Hughes Michigan United States Not sufficient enough. The laws should be much more aggressive for those convicted of torturing animals. Animals should have rights and it is up to us to protect them!
9,485 10:05 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Sue Turcotte Washington United States The penalties for animal torture should be as high as for human torture ~ it needs to be understood that the two are very related, as it often escalates to violence against vulnerable humans.
9,484 9:36 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. suzanne Newman New Jersey United States FOR GOD SAKES MAKE THE PUNISHMENT FIT HE DAMNED CRIME FOR CHRIST SAKES THSI IS DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9,483 9:34 pm PDT, Sep 1 Mrs. judith leon de arayaes Nevada United States no
9,482 9:14 pm PDT, Sep 1   sherry christoffer Iowa United States We need tougher laws!
9,481 8:36 pm PDT, Sep 1 Mr. John Armstrong Michigan United States Are you kidding?? That day can't come quick enough!!
9,480 8:00 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Pippa Gaubert Texas United States Not enough. The penalties for animal torture should be as high as for human torture as it needs to be understood that the two are very related.
9,479 7:48 pm PDT, Sep 1   Alicia Hoge Michigan United States Not enough
9,478 7:46 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Anne ODonnell Arizona United States Not strong enough
9,477 7:31 pm PDT, Sep 1   Madison Freeman Florida United States Please take a stand for all the innocent animals who have suffered and/or died at the hands of evil human beings and pass legislation to enact Mercy's Law.
9,476 7:25 pm PDT, Sep 1 Mrs. Barbara Lestorti Connecticut United States No.
9,475 7:24 pm PDT, Sep 1   Gerie Madak New Jersey United States No, the laws need to be much stronger.
9,474 7:22 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Rebecca Heller New York United States No
9,473 7:20 pm PDT, Sep 1 Mrs. catherine gilbert Wisconsin United States no, not in my opinion!
9,472 6:56 pm PDT, Sep 1   Carol A. McNally Indiana United States Yes we do
9,471 6:47 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Melanie Zenor Maryland United States No
9,470 6:37 pm PDT, Sep 1 Mrs. Michelle Dovin Missouri United States no and even so, 2 yrs is not enough punishment for this kind of torture. It has been proven that people who can easily commit heinous acts of cruelty to defenseless animals move on to small children and then adults. This needs to stop now and we need harsher punishments in place to keep criminals from thinking this is just a slap on the wrist.
9,469 6:32 pm PDT, Sep 1   robin feiger California United States no! it is disgusting, 2 years for animal torture? We have to change the laws!
9,468 6:32 pm PDT, Sep 1   Valerie Lang New York United States New York has some good laws but in my opinion penalties should be stricter. We do have a felony cruelty law but laws alone aren't enough - we need police to enforce these laws and judges and district attorneys to take animal cruelty very seriously. We have an animal cruelty task force in Rennselaer County, New York. More counties should do this. Our website is http://animaloutreach.hvcc.edu .Valerie Lang, Animal Law Professor, Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, New York
9,467 6:29 pm PDT, Sep 1   jody newman Colorado United States NO, Colorado does not have sufficient laws nor consequences for animal abusers, torturers, and those who neglect animals. The United States has failed as Guardians for wildlife, companion animals, and all those beings who are vulnerable to abuse.
9,466 6:29 pm PDT, Sep 1   Cathy Dickens Michigan United States Not enough
9,465 6:27 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Helen Hashbarger Georgia United States Please pass this-If Ga does not have sufficient laws-I will check and do what I can to pass these laws-No animals should suffer!! People who torture animals should get the same penalties as if they tortured a human!
9,464 6:27 pm PDT, Sep 1 Mrs. Crystal Overland Louisiana United States NOT ENOUGH!!
9,463 6:26 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. rebecca romoshan New York United States i do not believe it does!!!
9,462 6:21 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. tracey pettingill Maryland United States we should have zero tolerance...zero!!!!!!
9,461 6:20 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Anonymous California United States put this guy AWAY forever. we don't need nor do we want these people in this world. the laws need to change asap and be more strict in every city and state so would not happen again. It took 6 mil. jewes to loose their lifes to Hitler until someone cared enough to stop it, how many more animals will have to suffer until it would stop?
9,460 6:19 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Elizabeth Gomez New York United States yes
9,459 6:15 pm PDT, Sep 1   Donna Peterson Ohio United States A resounding NO! Penalties, WHEN imposed are far too lenient; oftentimes offenders are placed on probation with NO jail time served. Animal Protection Laws must be strengthened and enforced nationwide.
9,458 6:13 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. stephanie vitt Georgia United States NO! I don't believe any of the states have a stiff enough law on the books!
9,457 6:11 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Tammie Blythe Texas United States NO, PLEASE HELP!
9,456 6:10 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Deborah Cosio Colorado United States No, However Colorado... needs to have new legislation on this. This kind of crime apparently is the happening thing for criminals...because they know that there are no strong penalties! It is time for change!
9,455 6:10 pm PDT, Sep 1 Ms. Yolanda Doyon Lariviere Rhode Island United States NO WAY! WE NEED HELP HERE!
9,454 6:09 pm PDT, Sep 1 Mrs. Julie Mitchell Texas United States No
9,453 6:09 pm PDT, Sep 1 Mr. Josh Goldstein California United States No state does.
9,452 6:05 pm PDT, Sep 1   James Bankston Texas United States Texas, which is behind most of the nation in everything else that matters, is behind the times with regard to its laws and penalties about about torture. This is because of the powerful agricultural lobby. But there is no excuse for this kind of treatment, not any reason why a so-called human being found guilty of such a monstrous act should get off with a mere slap on the hand sentence.
9,451 6:05 pm PDT, Sep 1 Mrs. Doris Lamprecht Minnesota United States I do belive so

We the people, ask that a legislation be enacted which shall be named “Mercy’s Law”



MERCY’S LAW
– A law to arrest and prosecute those that torture, mutilate, and ultimately cause death to companion animals.  Such crime would allow for criminal charges to be filed as a felony and not less.  When it has been deemed obvious by a Licensed Veterinarian that the animal indeed suffered due to being tortured or mutilated, then an appropriate and aggressive investigation, arrest, trial and conviction should be pursued.  Sentencing should be no less than 2 years.  

It is a known fact that a person who is capable of this kind of violence toward an animal, can and WILL do it to a human, without remorse.
Therefore it is imperative that the laws as well as the punishment for animal torture are revised to be more stringent in every state.   

This law would also include a "Mercy's Alert" which means any convicted animal abuser/killer who is out on bail, or has been released from prison, would be put into a database so that they can be tracked in the event another attack occurs within their vicinity. 

This will also provide shelter or rescue adoption facilities with important information as part of a background check should an attempt to adopt an animal occur.  It should also be made mandatory that City or State funded shelters perform a background check before adopting out any animal.  Most abusers seek out these kinds of shelters because currently they do not do background or reference check.



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