Is Animal Abuse A Felony In California

Animal cruelty laws protect all animals in California

What Is Considered Animal Abuse Under California Law?

Animals — particularly pets — provoke a strong reaction in most Californians. Many of u.s.a. love cats, dogs, horses, and the wild creatures that inhabit our land. Not anybody has the aforementioned dearest and devotion for animals — which is why California has strict laws that prohibit animate being cruelty.

These laws are necessary to prevent physical corruption and other forms of harm, including fail, overwork, and fifty-fifty killing. Even so in many cases, political force per unit area and activism result in overly aggressive investigations and prosecutions.

According to a criminal lawyer Santa Ana, CA, California constabulary prohibits maliciously, intentionally or cruelly:

Maiming;
Mutilating;
Torturing; or
Wounding a alive animal; OR
Killing a wild animal.

It too prohibits:

Depriving an fauna of necessary food, drink or shelter; and
Riding, driving, overworking or otherwise using the animal when it is unfit for labor.

These types of abuses are typically reported past veterinarians also as members of the public.

In addition to laws that broadly prohibit beast abuse, California has specific laws that forbid cockfighting, dogfighting, leaving an animal in an unattended vehicle, sexual abuse of animals, and other potential abuse of animals, such equally poisoning animals.

While animate being abuse is a problem in our gild, these cases tin often be difficult to defend considering of the public pressure that mounts whenever a person is accused of hurting or neglecting an animal. Considering animals are perceived to be blameless and there is stiff public support for prosecuting these types of cases, these cases are ofttimes aggressively prosecuted. However, a skilled criminal lawyer Santa Ana, CA can work with you to defend against these charges.

For instance, if you are charged with animate being abuse because your dog died afterwards being kept at home all day in extremely hot temperatures with no water, your attorney may be able to argue that there was no fail —considering what happened was an accident. Your air conditioning may have broken, leading to intolerably hot conditions. And your dog may have knocked over his h2o bowl, as he sometimes does, leaving him without water (or maybe he simply drank it all considering it was so hot in the house).

Animal corruption is a wobbler under California law, which means that it tin be prosecuted as either a misdemeanor or a felony based on the facts of the case and your criminal history. If you are bedevilled of misdemeanor animal abuse, you may be sentenced to upwardly to one year in county jail and a fine of upwards to $20,000. Felony animal abuse is punishable past between sixteen months and 3 years in California state prison, and a maximum fine of $20,000. In addition, you may take whatever animals permanently removed from your care, be charged with the expense associated with caring for the animals, be required to undergo court-ordered counseling, and/or be sentenced to an additional 1 year in state prison if you lot used a deadly or dangerous weapon.

While animal abuse charges tin can be challenging to defend against, a seasoned criminal lawyer Santa Ana, CA can assistance. At the Chambers Police force Firm, we represent clients charged with a range of California criminal offenses. Contact us today at 714-760-4088 or dchambers@clfca.com to schedule a free initial consultation.

Source: https://www.chamberslawfirmca.com/what-is-considered-animal-abuse-under-california-law/

Posted by: richieeverne.blogspot.com