The trouble is that the Courts do not ever treat these offences with the seriousness that they should.
I know that this also applies to offences against other human beings.
However, animals cannot make representations themselves, hence the reasons why we have to do it for them.
And anyone who betrays and takes advantage of the trust an animal gives freely is a coward of the first water who not only deserves our contempt but also appropriate punishment(I leave the definition of THIS to your own imagination!).