Animal rights advocates in Connecticut are calling on state lawmakers to toughen animal abuse laws in this year's legislative session.
"In 2025, approximately 80% of the animal cruelty cases ended with little or no meaningful punishment,” said Linda Pleva, vice president of animal rights group Desmond’s Army.
They want the state to reform its diversionary program to limit which types of animal abuse cases would be eligible for accelerated rehabilitation.
A volunteer attorney who represents the interests of dogs and cats in abuse cases, Charlie Farfaglia, said some of the acts that should disqualify a defendant from being eligible for a diversionary program include: beating a pet with an object, leaving it outside in adverse conditions, or starving it.
“If you don't help your pet and ease their suffering, it's an intentional act every time you walk by and don't do the right thing,” Farfaglia said. “It's time for victims and the community to be prioritized.”
“I do believe that it is a crisis in Connecticut at this point in time, with all the cruelty that has been going on,” said Roz Nenninger, Wolcott’s animal control officer.
During the first month of 2026, at least eight abandoned dogs were found dead in the state of Connecticut.
Nenninger said when an animal abuse defendant is given accelerated rehabilitation the restrictions placed on them are minimal. After such programs she said “they are allowed to go right back to doing what they were doing.”
Additionally, animal advocates want starvation to be made a felony and called for the creation of a statewide database of animal abusers that is available to the public.
Pleva said taking a proactive step to protect pets will also protect people because “research tells us, animal cruelty is often an early warning sign of escalating violence."
