Henrico Proposes Animal Cruelty Registry

Henrico County officials are considering the creation of the “first animal cruelty registry in Virginia.” If enacted, it could also help keep human residents safe.

The Henrico Police website would publish the registry, which “would include the names and photos of people convicted of felonies related to animal cruelty, such as animal fighting or maiming, killing or poisoning an animal, and other violent crimes.”

Henrico County police can’t perform background checks to learn about a person’s history with animals, so this online database “would make it much easier for animal shelters and adoption centers to vet individuals looking to adopt.” Animals would benefit because it would prevent them from being adopted by people who seek to commit violent crimes against them.

This registry would also help deter crimes against animals and prevent escalation of violence. According to Henrico Commonwealth Attorney Shannon Taylor, animal abuse is a known “indicator of other violent crimes, such as child abuse, sexual assault, and homicide.”

“Not only are we concerned about the cruelty being impacted on animals, we also know that there’s research that talks about [animal cruelty] being a precursor to other types of abusive behavior,” Taylor said. “So we are very interested in making sure that we are being aggressive in this initiative.”

Henrico County’s animal cruelty registry could be the first of many, including a possible statewide registry. But first, the Henrico County Board of Supervisors must approve it. 12 On Your Side also reported on the news.

Virginia’s commitment to protecting animals

Henrico’s animal cruelty registry proposal reflects Virginia’s ongoing commitment to protecting animals. For example, “Virginia is the only state whose attorney general’s office includes an animal law unit.”

The Animal Law Unit’s genesis came in 2015 during Mark Herring’s first term as attorney general. ““How a society treats its animals says something about who we are as people,” Herring said. “And so the Animal Law Unit says something about who we are as Virginians.””

The ALU is headed by Virginia’s senior assistant attorney general Michelle Welch, who has an extensive background in animal law. She said that “[Animals] are capable of suffering. They do feel pain and they don’t deserve to be abused.”

Jason Miyares recognized ALU’s worth when he became Virginia’s Attorney General, saying, “animal welfare is an interest that crosses party lines…There’s generally a universal revulsion that private citizens have when they see animal abuse…It’s something that almost everybody can recognize.”

Since the Animal Law Unit’s launch, it has “closed more than 3,000 animal law matters.”

Despite the combined efforts of animal welfare activists and law enforcement, more work needs to be done to protect animals in Virginia and beyond. In 2017, nine bills “that would have expanded protections for animals” failed in the VA General Assembly. That failure has roots in the fact that in “In most places, animals are considered property without similar rights that humans enjoy.” It also helps explain why animal abuse and neglect continues to happen in places like roadside zoos.

A public hearing for the Henrico proposed ordinance will be advertised for Dec. 2, 2025.