The great state of Tennessee is leading the way in animal welfare by adopting the first statewide animal abuse registry in the country. This is a huge step forward in punishing animal abusers.
Back in May, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed legislation that would allow the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to create a list of the names, addresses and photographs of animal abusers throughout the state. It is set to launch in January 2016. And the hope is that it will deter potential abusers from committing a crime, as well as help to track down perpetrators of already existing crimes. This will be also helpful in order to do background checks on potential adopters.
At this time, the list only covers companion animals, not livestock. You can view the list here once it is live on January 1, 2016:
https://www.tn.gov/tbi/topic/tennessee-animal-abuse-registry
I think this is a great idea and long overdue. If you agree, please urge your local officials and government representatives to create a similar list in your area. Remember, you can make the change happen.
