Save that to commie lurkers. I am merely going against the "death penalty for animal torturers" wave that has swept this thread.
It's simply self-defense.
You just don't comprehend the long range implications of wimply punishments.
Most states have weak laws regarding animal abuse.
They'll probably get 'a couple months soft time and community service' which will accomplish -nothing- insofar as rehabilitation goes.
In WV, it's now a felony to abuse animals.
Last year a Martinsburg man [and I use that term loosely] tied his wife's dog to a railroad track whereupon the oncoming train ran over and severed the dog's entire lower jaw but did *not* kill him.
He laid there suffering for -hours- until he was found by a passer-by.
The wife of the creep told the LEO he'd already killed her cat earlier in the day and that he did *those* deeds because beating -her- just wasn't having the 'get back into line' effect he'd hoped for.
After learning that he was now guilty of felony animal abuse and bound for long, hard time, she recanted and began to campaign for his release.
She had kids he terrorized, as well.
He got hard time in spite of her.
I am also against the death penalty for animal torturers.
But I recognize that we need to keep people who do this off the street. They can and will progress to harming people.
Would you agree to a locked ward psychiatric facility, for life or until a true medical cure is found? (not a "recovery" since these people are pretty good at faking that)?
The reason I'm not suggesting jail is that the penalties for animal cruelty are relativedly short terms and psychopaths don't change, whenever we let them out, they'll start again.
My first choice would actually be a version of the "Coventry" described by Robert Heinlein in his story by that name.