1. Animal Rights Michael Palyka

2. Animal rights in Utah  Cruelty to animals is defined as: “intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence: fails to provide necessary food, care, or shelter for an animal in his custody; abandons an animal in the person’s custody; transports or confines an animal in a cruel manner; injures an animal; causes any animal, to fight with another animal of like kind or different kind for amusement or gain.  If it is done “intentionally or knowingly”, it is a Class B Misdemeanor with up to 1000$ fine or up to 6 months in jail or if it is done recklessly or with criminal negligence” it is a Class C Misdemeanor with a fine up to $750 and/or imprisonment up to 90 days.

3. Animal rights in Utah Continued  Aggravated Cruelty is defined as: “tortures an animal; administers poison or poisonous substances to an animal without having a legal privilege to do so; kills or causes to be killed an animal without having a legal privilege to do so.  “intentionally or knowingly” committing these acts is a Class A Misdemeanor with a fine up to $2500 and/or imprisonment up to 1 year.  If these acts are committed “recklessly” it is a Class B Misdemeanor with a fine up to $1000 and/or imprisonment up to 6 months.  If these acts are committed “with criminal negligence” it is a Class C Misdemeanor with a fine up to $750 and/or imprisonment up to 90 days.

4. Utah compared to others

5. Best Friends Animal Society  Was established over 30 years ago and helps Utah’s pet problem in multiple ways on a couple of different Animal Right fronts, including:  Offering to spay and neuter pets at discounted prices to reduce the numbers of pets entering shelters  Implement trap/neuter/return programs to reduce the number of community cats  Rotate animals around to day care facility's to avoid unnecessary killing.  Convince pet stores to adopt pets instead of selling, reducing the amount of puppy mill influence  Increase puppy mill awareness.  Lobby for humane legislation in Utah

6. Statistics for animals in the U.S and Utah  More then 9000 pets are killed in the U.S everyday, or one every 6 seconds.  Over 70 % of community cats that enter our nations shelters are killed.  Over 90% of puppies in pet stores came from puppy mills.  It is estimated that 25% of dogs in shelters are pure bred dogs.  In the period from 1999 to 2006, Best Friends Animal Society reported that the statewide adoption rate increased 39% and the rates at which animals were euthanized dropped by 30%

7. Freedom, Responsibility, and Justice  Animals are an integrated part of life in American Society and it is our responsibility as a society to coexist with them in a humane fashion.  The less that we care about issues regarding animals, the bigger of a problem they will become with more feral cats and ill-mannered dogs around without regulation.  These problems can be avoided with good animal practices and caring.

8. Things we can do to help  Spay and neuter your pets to help reduce homeless pet populations  Don’t buy pets from pet stores, adopt instead  Increase awareness of puppy mills  Advocate for harsher animal cruelty laws in Utah  Volunteer for a non-profit organization in Utah.

9. Bibliography  http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/PDF/AnimalCrueltyLaws.pdf http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/PDF/AnimalCrueltyLaws.pdf  http://bestfriends.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Story/History-of-Best-Friends/ http://bestfriends.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Story/History-of-Best-Friends/  https://www.animallaw.info/article/animal-welfare-act https://www.animallaw.info/article/animal-welfare-act  http://bestfriends.org/What-We-Do/Our-Work/ http://bestfriends.org/What-We-Do/Our-Work/  http://bestfriends.org/What-we-do/Our-Work/Initiatives/ http://bestfriends.org/What-we-do/Our-Work/Initiatives/  http://www.utahhumane.org/about-us http://www.utahhumane.org/about-us