Jersey Girl and others interested--Here's the place to start. This is extremely well written and helpful. It is essentially a primer to advocacy for animals:
http://aldf.org/article.php?list=type&type=94
Side note--Did you guys know that cities and towns can enact their own ordinances concerning animals? Ashland, OR (where I live) has long been trying to pass a "no tether" law. This would mean that it would be illegal, within our city limits to tie a dog up for more than a certain amount of time. We have a large group of very dedicated activists who are working hard to stop the practice of long term tethering. Our police chief has fought hard against it due to the difficulty of policing it but the passion is there and I believe we will get an ordinance on the books at some point.
In doing some research, I've learned that NJ has a long way to go in animal protection. I don't know if this is your current state. If it is, and there are no pertinent laws, you can be certain that there will be a active advocacy group working on this. High profile cases like the death of the man who sexually abused the horse in Washington state are often the catalysts we need for change. The man who filmed that crime, James Tait, was only cited for trespassing as there were no laws on the books. There are now.
My guess is that Tait headed toward Tennessee, not knowing that the law was changing there too. Here's an interesting article about what Tennessee has done:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-10-29-tn-beastiality-law_N.htm
"...But District Attorney General Mike Bottoms, who is prosecuting the Maury County case [ETA: Tait's case], said he's not sure what he could have charged the Maury County defendants with if the statute hadn't been on the books. "There are laws against cruelty to animals, but they dealt more into the neglect of the animals, which wasn't the case here," Bottoms said...."
and
"... "We had no idea this sort of thing was happening," said Maury County Detective Terry Chandler. "This goes on.
These people live all across the United States, and they know each other." Washington State is considering a new law that would add bestiality offenses to the sexual offender registry, and Chandler said he would like to see a similar law in Tennessee...."
more at link
FWIW, I think a great thing to do would be to write a short note of thanks to all the legislators, regardless of the state, who have worked hard to enact these laws. I'm going to write one today to Rep. Debra Maggart R-Hendersonville, TN. She was the one who pushed the TN law through. You can read on the site linked above about her experience. Also from the link above:
".....Maggart and groups like the Humane Society of the United States point to
studies that show the high correlation between sexual abuse of animals and sexual abuse of children. She said she sponsored the bill at the urging of local law enforcement officials.
One study, linked on the Humane Society Web page, found that
96% of juveniles who engaged in sexual abuse of animals also admitted to sex offenses against humans. In another study, some
37% of sexually violent juvenile offenders were found to have a history of animal sexual assault. An FBI study found that serial killers have a high rate of animal sexual abuse as well......."
Here's your ammunition. Politicians want to be seen as caring individuals AND they want the taxpayers to believe that they are working hard to save money. Looks to me that if new and tough laws are enacted to nip this nasty problem in the bud, we are protecting the animals AND stopping the progression of abuse. It's a win win situation for the legislators as it makes most constituents happy and give LE the tools they need. It keeps our animals and children safer and saves everyone money, in the long run.
Can't ask for more than that.
