Show of Hands

its considered a chargeable offense. there could be many explanations for why american society holds this double standard, but I think the most likely is familiarity. Horses, dogs, cats. these are pets. they are familiar, they share our lives

most people of american culture would consider bludgeoning a puppy more sickening than shooting a deer for the same reason.

Well said. That double standard is exactly why some of us have realized that ALL sentient creatures deserve protection from abuse. If a superior alien race found us, we'd want them to consider our lives as valuable and consider our well-being too.

And yes, I realize that those viewpoints not logically incongruous, but it seems unlikely that someone would think there's an invisible rulebook somewhere and that they of all people somehow know how to decipher it.

But what you consider sick and twisted someone else might fund normal. Isn't this just legislating to stop acts you don't like?

No. Cruelty and torture is never okay.

But again, you are claiming something is torture when someone else might not. I'd suggest you check out the link in my stand alone comment below.

I did. I still stand by my statement. Just because someone's beliefs call for them to brutally kill an animal does not make it alright.

If I buy a chair, it is mine and I can take a hammer to it if I want. You can't stop me, it's my property. If people truly to own animals, why should they be treated differently?

Hammers aren't living creatures. You can also buy a bride and if you beat her it is abuse.

But the 13th Amendment states that I don't actually "own" the bride. Does the same level of "ownership" apply to animals? Because that has huge ramifications.

Just recently, a man got jailed in Key West for hitting his dog. He went to jail the same way you'd go when hitting a person.

Same sentence? I'm deeply troubled by that.

Yup, first degree misdemeanor though I don't have the local crime report for that.

The main problem I see with those laws is not only this double standard but also that they decide some animals are more worthy than others. Yes, some are higher developed, but where draw the line? And what about hunting? Fishing?

hunting you typically make it a fast...hopefully painless death. You use it for food. Animal abuse is beating up a defenseless animal for sadistic pleasure.

What about hunting for pleasure? That takes the food aspect out of it.

typically if you hunt for pleasure you still take the game back and sell meat, pelt, antlers, etc...

Well, if humans are taken as example, then abusing someone physically is a lesser crime than killing someone. Why would the logic be different for animals? It's bye bye meat, hello veggies.