Should Animal Abusers Receive Harsher Punishments? [POLL]

Two high profile animal abuse trials are both set to start within less than a week of each other here in NJ.

The  trials for abuse against Patrick the pit bull and Sammy the cocker spaniel are both scheduled to start within the week, with Patrick's case starting today, July 9th and the trial for Sammy's former owners is set to begin on July 15th.

Patrick you may remember was the dog who was found near death in a trash bag at the bottom of a chute. Patrick's former owner twenty-nine year-old Kisha Curtis of Newark is accused of tying a pit-bull to the railing in her former Newark apartment building, then leaving the state for more than a week in 2011.

In the case of Sammy the cocker spaniel, Sammy was abandoned by his owners Keith and Shauna Morgan, who left him in a trash bag, causing serious injuries to the 15-year-old dog. Sammy's supporters showed up at the arraignment recently in Brick wearing "Justice for Sammy" shirts.

In light of these two animal abuse cases that have made national headlines, do you think that NJ needs stronger penalties for animal abusers? Take our poll and let us know.