Animal Laws - Michigan
The Michigan Legislature has designed three primary provisions related to cruelty to animals: intentional infliction of pain and suffering, duty to provide care, and anti-animal fighting. The intentional infliction of pain and suffering provision carries teh most severe penalties and a violation is automatically a felony. A violation of the duty to provide care provisions is initially a misdemeanor, which becomes a felony for a second or subsequent violation. A violation of the anti-animal fighting provision is either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the severity of conduct related to fighting
See provisions in detail at MSU's Animal Legal & Historical Center.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
If you suspect a violation of any animal cruelty law(s), your community needs you to be a part of the solution and report what you have seen to the authorities! Cruelty to animals has been scientifically shown to lead to violence against humans, including small children and the elderly who can become easy victims.
"All cruelty springs from weakness" -- Seneca, 4BC-65AD
"[T]he day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those rights which never could have been withholden from them but to the hand of tyranny...the question is not, can they reason?, nor can they talk? but, can they suffer? Why should the law refuse its protection to any sensitive being? The time will come when humanity will extend its mantle over everything which breaths..." -- Jeremy Bentham 1748-1832