Animal Victory was founded in 2019 by Janelle Babington, who recognized a powerful opportunity to unite animal lovers through social media to fight cruelty. She saw that online communities could become a collective force for change — demanding investigations, accountability, and justice for abused and neglected animals.
Together with Penny Eims, a veteran journalist and animal advocate with more than 20 years of experience, Janelle combined expertise in rescue operations, research, writing, and technology to bring Animal Victory to life.
Their shared compassion and unwavering dedication have built a purposeful petition platform that empowers people everywhere to take action, raise awareness, and help reduce animal mistreatment. Their inspiring journey stands as a testament to their love for animals and their lifelong commitment to justice and compassion.
In addition to her work with Animal Victory, Janelle also founded the American Red Lion Disaster Fund, an organization dedicated to reducing animal suffering during natural disasters. Under her leadership, the group earned multiple honors, including the Great Nonprofits Badge, the GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency, and recognition as one of America’s Best Local Charities.
In 2021, operations for the American Red Lion Disaster Fund were paused so Janelle could focus exclusively on Animal Victory’s growing petition platform. However, recognizing the ongoing need for animal disaster relief, she later established the Animal Victory Disaster and Abuse Fund, continuing the original Red Lion mission of compassion, advocacy, and rescue for animals in crisis.
With over two decades of experience as a journalist and freelance writer, Penny has made a lasting impact in animal welfare media through her work with Examiner.com, Shelter ME-TV, Pet Rescue Report, and FIDO Friendly Magazine. Her National Animal News Facebook page has attracted more than 600,000 followers, amplifying her voice for animals in need.
Penny’s deep expertise in researching animal welfare and rights nonprofits drives her passion for supporting underserved and underfunded causes. In addition to drafting petitions for Animal Victory, she serves as a Director for the Animal Victory Disaster and Abuse Fund, helping guide the organization’s efforts to deliver aid and advocacy for animals in crisis.
Our team is made up of dedicated, compassionate advocates who value animals over profit and share one unified goal: to collect as many signatures as possible to persuade officials to investigate alleged cases of animal abuse and seek the maximum punishment for convicted abusers.
Together, we combine our expertise in research, writing, media, and outreach to amplify the voices of thousands who stand for justice and compassion for all animals.
Pierina leverages her social media expertise and multilingual communication skills to promote each Animal Victory petition across diverse platforms. Her efforts help expand the organization’s global reach and drive higher engagement and signature counts for every campaign.
Kelley prepares and formats petitions and signature documents to meet legal and procedural requirements, ensuring they reach prosecutors and judges accurately and on time. She diligently tracks each case, resubmitting updated petitions as signatures grow, and oversees delivery through every stage until resolution.
Jan gathers the necessary information to liaise with the authorities based on our petition requirements. She monitors each case and maintains communication with the authorities, police, attorneys, or judges until the case concludes. She keeps detailed and accurate notes to help us use our petition effectively, backed by your signatures and comments.
Maria serves as Animal Victory’s Legal Counsel, bringing her expertise in law to advocate for animal welfare and justice. She is actively involved in initiatives such as Hogs for Hope
and the Endangered Species Coalition
, reflecting her deep commitment to protecting animals and the environment. Animal Victory is deeply grateful for Maria’s passion, professionalism, and unwavering dedication to the cause of animal rights and conservation.
Paul produces compelling videos to raise awareness about Animal Victory’s petitions and shares them with his 300,000+ social media followers. His creative storytelling and broad reach help bring critical attention to cases of animal abuse and drive public engagement in our campaigns.
Animal Victory creates and hosts online petitions advocating for investigations from alleged animal abusers in addition to the strictest punishment for convicted animal abusers.
Our Mission is to raise awareness of animal cruelty crimes through the use of petitions and gather as many signatures as possible to present to officials and the authorities to investigate animal abuse crimes and push to secure the maximum punishment for convicted animal abusers.
Our vision is to create a world where animals are treated with compassion and respect.
Animal Victory conducts research and provides updates on animal abuse cases to keep the public informed. We create petitions for many of these cases, using social platforms to engage individuals passionate about animal welfare. Our aim is to collect signatures, leveraging our collective voice’s strength to urge officials to conduct thorough investigations of each case and impose the most severe punishment possible for confirmed abusers.
Unlike many petition platforms, Animal Victory doesn’t walk away after collecting signatures. We follow cases for as long as reasonably possible — sometimes for years — monitoring developments and delivering signatures directly to prosecutors, judges, investigators, lawmakers, and other key decision-makers. We typically submit updated signatures at least twice per year, and more often when the case requires it.
While there are rare occasions when a case becomes too complex, costly, or inaccessible to continue tracking — resulting in signatures being submitted only once — we always do our very best with the resources we have. When we have exhausted all available avenues and can no longer advance a petition, we move it to our “Past Petitions” section for transparency.
Your signature isn’t a moment. It’s part of a sustained, strategic push for justice.
Animal Victory is a for-profit social impact advocacy organization. It is not a charity, and donations made to Animal Victory’s petition campaigns are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions.
When we launch petitions, donations made to support them are used to fund advocacy, petition promotion, outreach, and operational costs, including:
Online petition platform and website hosting
Email newsletters and communication tools
Advertising and promotion to increase petition signatures
Advocacy and outreach materials
General operating expenses required to run and promote petitions
When funds allow, a portion of donations may be allocated, at Animal Victory’s discretion, to reward funds, direct aid, or donations to individuals, rescues, or organizations associated with specific cases or petition efforts. These distributions are made on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed.
Please review our Terms of Use here:
https://animalvictory.org/terms-and-conditions/
To provide a tax-deductible giving option for supporters, we established the Animal Victory Disaster and Abuse Fund (AVDAF), a separate and independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
AVDAF may share certain marketing, administrative, or overhead resources with Animal Victory, enabling both organizations to reduce costs and expand outreach while maintaining appropriate legal and operational separation.
Donations made to AVDAF are tax-deductible.
Donations made to Animal Victory (for-profit) petition campaigns are not tax-deductible.
This dual-entity structure increases efficiency, maximizes impact, and allows supporters to choose how they wish to support animal welfare efforts.
Learn more about our nonprofit organization:
👉 https://www.animalvictoryfund.org
Animal Victory operates as a mission-driven, advocacy-focused organization, and our work centers on improving the lives of animals—not maximizing profit. Although we are structured as a for-profit business, we function with a social-impact purpose and reinvest a substantial portion of our resources into advocacy, awareness campaigns, and animal-related initiatives.
Organizations with public-interest missions, community goals, and social-impact work commonly use the .org domain. Using AnimalVictory.org reflects our commitment to advocacy, transparency, and animal welfare. While a .com domain is typically associated with commercial sales or profit-driven enterprises, our primary focus is on our mission, not commercial activity.
Using a .org domain does not mean we are a nonprofit—it simply better represents the nature of our work and the values we uphold.
While contributions made directly to support petition work through AnimalVictory.org are not tax-deductible, supporters who would like to make a tax-deductible gift have an option through our nonprofit affiliate:
The Animal Victory Disaster and Abuse Fund (AVDAF)
A registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
AVDAF and Animal Victory share specific operating resources—such as marketing tools and website infrastructure—to reduce overhead and maximize impact. This collaboration helps both organizations reach more people, broaden awareness, and increase support for animal welfare causes.
Supporters who want to contribute to our mission and receive a tax deduction may donate through AVDAF. These contributions support charitable programs such as:
disaster response
emergency veterinary aid
crisis intervention
direct assistance to animals in need
For more information, visit:
www.AnimalVictoryFund.org
People often ask, “Why do we still need petitions if the abuser has already been charged?”
The answer is simple — because charges don’t guarantee justice.
Too often, prosecutors let animal abusers off with a slap on the wrist or a plea deal, even when the evidence is overwhelming. This leniency happens for many reasons:
Underfunded and overworked courts,
Inexperienced prosecutors who underestimate the seriousness of animal cruelty,
Or officials who still view these crimes as “minor” offenses.
💔 And that’s where petitions make a difference.
When law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges receive our formal letter of intent, paired with a petition carrying thousands of signatures demanding action, it becomes impossible to ignore. These petitions prove that the public is watching — that people care deeply and expect accountability.
Our collective voice has power. It reminds decision-makers that animal cruelty is not a low-level crime — it’s a reflection of violence that often escalates to humans.
Every signature represents one more person saying:
“We see what happened. We care. And we expect justice.”
We’ve all witnessed how public outcry changes outcomes — from protests that shift policies to petitions that force re-sentencing and legislative reform.
✍️ Petitions work because silence never does.
Provides for felony charges, fines, and up to seven years in prison.
As of November 2019, the PACT Act was approved, meaning all 50 states have now enacted felony penalties for certain forms of animal abuse. However, each state determines what constitutes cruelty and the penalties for committing the cruelty. Furthermore, just because an abuser is charged with a felony, it doesn’t mean they are going to get the maximum jail time associated with a felony. Trying to ENFORCE the appropriate “felony” punishment charge can be very difficult. Many courts are underfunded and overwhelmed with an excessive number of cases. Because of this, oftentimes they get pled down to a lower chargeable offense to not have to go to trial; (it saves resources.) Therefore, most of these abusers get off with a slap on the wrist, perhaps some community service, and a small fine. Before long, they are back to abusing animals. The purpose of the petitions is to put pressure on the authorities, prosecuting attorneys, and judges not to follow the lesser-offense practice. In all cases, authorities can’t ignore the fact that tens of thousands of signatures and comments have been presented to them through a petition.
Why Animal Victory’s Petitions Are Different
Bottom line: Animal Victory’s use of videos (with warnings, non-autoplay, and for advocacy/legal accountability) is well within protected activity under the PACT Act’s exceptions.
Since launching in 2019, Animal Victory has become a force for animals who cannot speak for themselves. Through persistence, public pressure, and thousands of voices standing together, we have achieved an average success rate of nearly 30% across our petitions — a powerful outcome in a system that often ignores or minimizes animal cruelty.
Every year, we grow stronger, smarter, and more strategic.
We move faster when cases break.
We adapt to changing laws and shifting court priorities.
We sharpen our ability to gather, analyze, and leverage data so every action we take is informed, intentional, and impactful.
Our community continues to grow — hundreds of thousands of supporters who amplify petitions, demand accountability, and refuse to let abusers hide in silence.
Click here to see our Victories.
But we also know the truth: not every case turns out the way it should.
The legal system is imperfect.
Underfunded courts, overwhelmed or inexperienced prosecutors, and cultural biases that minimize animal suffering all create barriers to justice.
These setbacks do not slow us down — they ignite us.
Every difficult verdict becomes fuel.
Every disappointment becomes motivation to push harder, louder, and smarter.
We will continue building powerful coalitions — partnering with organizations, legal advocates, rescues, and grassroots groups to strengthen our impact and elevate our message nationwide.
We will continue expanding public engagement, using social media, petitions, and outreach to mobilize supporters who make real cases impossible to ignore.
Together, our knowledge, our network, and our relentless determination — combined with your voice — will continue to drive meaningful change for animals.
With your support, we move closer to a world where animals receive the respect, protection, and justice they deserve.
One petition, one victory, and one voice at a time.
Animal Victory indeed gives back significantly. We use a portion of the contributions from our petition campaigns to fund rewards or donations. These are given to organizations or individuals who have sought our services or have participated in petitions on a case-by-case basis.
Click here for Beneficiaries.
Why Petitions Matter — Even When Charges Are Filed
People often ask, “Why do we still need petitions if the abuser has already been charged?”
The answer is simple: because charges do not guarantee justice.
Too often, animal cruelty cases end with a slap on the wrist or a plea deal, even when the evidence is strong. This leniency happens for many reasons, including:
Underfunded and overworked courts
Inexperienced prosecutors who underestimate the seriousness of animal cruelty
Officials who still view these crimes as “minor” offenses
And this is where petitions make a difference.
When law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and judges receive a formal letter of intent accompanied by a petition bearing thousands of signatures, it becomes much harder to ignore. These petitions send a clear message: the public is watching, people care, and accountability is expected.
Our collective voice has real power. It reminds decision-makers that animal cruelty is not a low-level offense — it is a form of violence that research shows often escalates to harm against humans.
Every signature represents one more person saying:
“We see what happened. We care. And we expect justice.”
History shows that public pressure can change outcomes — from policy shifts and legislative reform to stronger sentences and renewed investigations.
Petitions work because silence never does.
Sometimes we are asked why we share animal abuse videos and graphic images, and some people express concern that doing so could give abusers ideas. While these concerns are understandable, there is no scientific research showing that viewing abuse footage shared by animal advocates leads viewers to commit animal abuse. In fact, research consistently points in the opposite direction: exposing the public to the reality of animal cruelty increases awareness, empathy, and advocacy aimed at preventing abuse.
Seeing real abuse can be shocking, but that shock often leads to recognition of the seriousness of the problem and motivates people to take action—signing petitions, contacting authorities, supporting rescues, or sharing information so others are informed. Public outrage often serves as a catalyst for accountability and reform. If these acts were never seen, many people would never know the abuse exists.
If these experiences are not shared, how can the public understand what is happening?
How can meaningful change occur?
We recognize that this content can be distressing, and no one is required to view images or videos that cause emotional harm. Supporters are encouraged to engage at their own comfort level.
Over time, we have learned that sanitized or feel-good images do not reflect the severity of the cases we report. The reality is often harsh, and factual evidence matters, particularly when authorities, prosecutors, and courts must evaluate cruelty cases and determine appropriate consequences.
As animal abuse petitioners and news reporters, our goal is to report cases as accurately as possible and to gather public support that pressures decision-makers to investigate thoroughly and pursue appropriate punishment. We rely on verified evidence to ensure credibility and accountability.
The Animal Victory team works diligently to expose animal cruelty and advocate for justice. Petition writer Penny Eims, along with Pierina Romero, Jan Karpel, Kelley Kite, and affiliate reporter Paul Mueller, collaborate closely to bring these cases to public attention and demand action.
We appreciate your continued support in signing, sharing, and engaging with these petitions and stories. Your feedback and insights help strengthen this work on behalf of animals.
Your support is critical. Without public involvement, many animals would have no voice at all.
Regarding the PACT Act and animal crush materials: the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act of 2019 criminalizes certain acts of extreme cruelty and the creation or distribution of animal crush videos when produced for sexual gratification or sadistic entertainment. However, the law explicitly allows exceptions for law enforcement, journalism, education, political advocacy, and public awareness efforts. Animal welfare organizations and news outlets document such material within these legal exceptions to expose abuse, support prosecutions, and inform the public.
Why We Include Videos in Our Petitions
We include videos of animal abusers in our petitions because the truth must be seen to be fully understood.
In many cases, these videos are the only undeniable evidence of what an animal endured — showing the cruelty in a way words alone cannot.
Here’s why they matter:
1. They show prosecutors and judges the severity of the abuse
Many cruelty cases are minimized, reduced, or dismissed unless there is clear, visual proof.
Video evidence forces the legal system to confront the reality of what the abuser did — without excuses or reinterpretation.
2. They motivate people to take action
When supporters see the suffering with their own eyes, the urgency becomes real.
That reaction transforms anger into signatures — and signatures into public pressure.
3. They help protect future animals
Videos often reveal patterns of violence and demonstrate a clear danger to animals — and frequently to people as well.
This documentation strengthens demands for harsher charges, higher bail, and stronger sentencing.
4. They prevent abusers from rewriting the story
Without visual evidence, abusers often claim:
• “It wasn’t that bad.”
• “The animal wasn’t hurt.”
• “It was an accident.”
Video removes doubt and preserves the truth.
5. They turn cruelty into public accountability
Petitions work because people see what happened and refuse to stay silent.
Visual evidence turns a private act of violence into a public demand for justice.
Whether it’s a one-time or monthly gift, you will provide the support needed for abused children seeking justice as well as the help needed to raise the bar for animal welfare in the courtroom.
Be their CHAMPION today.
Whether it’s a one-time or monthly gift, you will provide the support needed for abused animals seeking justice as well as the help needed to raise the bar for animal welfare in the courtroom.
Be their CHAMPION today.
Whether it’s a one-time or monthly gift, you will provide the support needed for abused animals seeking justice as well as the help needed to raise the bar for animal welfare in the courtroom.
Be their CHAMPION today.
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