Effing morons. Animal rights nuts claim that even having pets is abuse. This law is going to be abused beyond belief. A number of years ago in Utah some grandfather was charged with animal cruelty for killing a rat that was near his grandkids play place. Freaking loonies.
You are exactly right, just like gun-control laws, the Civil Rights Act, EPA laws, etc. C'mon conservatives, are we really stupid enough to fall for this? It is just a convenient excuse for the government to grab more control over our lives. For just this reason my position has always been that animals are property to do with as one pleases. I treat my animals better than most people treat their own children (fresh cooked meals every day, weekly adventures, daily exercise, swims in the summer, fenced in area of a few acres mixed wooded/fields, and a watchtower so they can watch the horses and cows across the street, sleep in my bed, etc.); however that is because I choose to treat them that way. If someone else, like my grandfather in his day, decides to keep them chained outside year 'round, who am I to judge... their dog is their property, and any laws restricting freedom to enjoy, train, work, or butcher your animals as you see fit are going to be abused to the point where no one can enjoy having pets anymore.