Denton Criminal Attorneys

Animal Cruelty

Unlike many nations, the United States has laws against animal cruelty. People in the United States are not allowed to treat other animals cruelly or violently. Every state has animal cruelty laws, and Texas is not an exception.

Texas’s animal cruelty laws are well-defined. People are not allowed to torture an animal, use a living animal as bait in a dog race, force one animal to engage in combat with another animal, trip a horse, not provide food and shelter to pets, and transport an animal in a cruel manner. On top of these, there are several other restrictions that people must legally abide by.

In Texas, animal cruelty laws use both misdemeanors and felonies to classify animal cruelty. Moreover, there are both civil and criminal animal cruelty statutes. As a result, people who are convicted of animal cruelty can face criminal penalties like jail time as well as civil penalties like fines. Another important thing to note is that if a minor (anyone under the age of 18) is convicted of animal cruelty then the minor has to undergo counseling on top of facing the other penalties. Another important thing to keep in mind is that Texas animal cruelty laws unfortunately do not protect non-domesticated animals. As a result, circus animals and wild animals are not protected by animal cruelty laws.

Some may say that Texas animal cruelty laws need to ensure that absolutely no animal suffers any type of abuse at all. This may or may not be necessary. Regardless, though, Texas does have animal cruelty laws that govern how people have to treat other animals.

Speak with a Denton Animal Cruelty Lawyer

If you have been charged with animal cruelty, judges and juries will not look favorably on you. To obtain the legal experience necessary in fighting animal abuse charges, contact the Denton criminal defense lawyers of Alexander & Associates by calling 972-420-6560.