So why are petitions necessary if all 50 states have enacted felony penalties?

Because every state is different. What constitutes felony cruelty and the punishment for committing the cruelty in one state may not be the same for another state.

Although all 50 states now have enacted felony penalties for certain forms of animal abuse, there still is no federal ban on animal cruelty and torture. 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 cases. Because of this, oftentimes they get plead 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 create pressure on the authorities, prosecuting attorneys, and judges to not follow the lesser offense practice. In all cases, it’s impossible for authorities to ignore the fact of thousands of signatures and comments they have been presented with from a petition. This is the only way we can get people to stop abusing animals. By using our collective voices to enforce the maximum punishment.