All too often, acts of cruelty to animals are viewed as childhood pranks and chalked up to the old adage "Boys will be boys." But it is foolhardy to ignore statistics that show that kids who hurt animals may be on a dangerous path that will only get worse if it is not corrected. Studies have shown that violent and aggressive criminals are more likely to have abused animals as children than are criminals who are considered non-aggressive.

Schools, parents, communities, and courts that shrug off animal abuse as a "minor" crime are ignoring a time bomb. Instead, communities should be aggressively penalizing animal abusers, examining families for other signs of violence, and requiring intensive counseling for perpetrators. Communities must recognize that the abuse of ANY living individual is unacceptable and endangers everyone.

Please remind your audience to take violence against animals seriously by ordering and using our free "Violence Toward Animals" public service announcement (PSA) today. You just may help save a life.