Animal cruelty includes a wide range of behaviors that are mistreatment of animals—from neglect (depriving an animal of food, water, shelter, or veterinary care) to torturing, maiming, mutilating, and killing animals. Animal cruelty laws vary from state to state, and are usually included in a state’s statutes.
In Ohio, animal cruelty is addressed under Ohio Revised Code Section 959, which prohibits individuals from knowingly causing or allowing acts of cruelty to animals. This includes a range of behaviors from neglect, such as failing to provide necessary sustenance or confining an animal without supplying it with sufficient quantities of good, wholesome food and water, to more severe acts like torture, torment, needless mutilation or maiming, and killing of an animal. Ohio law also requires that animals be provided with adequate shelter and necessary veterinary care. The penalties for animal cruelty in Ohio can vary from minor misdemeanors to felonies, depending on the severity of the offense and whether the perpetrator has previous convictions for animal cruelty. Enhanced penalties may apply for offenses involving companion animals, and Ohio has also established a registry for animal abuse offenders.
