Tennessee will soon maintain an online registry of convicted animal abusers.
The effort will start January 1 and will be similar to a sex offender registry where people can check to see if they live near someone who has harmed animals.
Spokeswoman Amber Mullins with the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley says the registry also gives shelters more information in the adoption process.
"This registry will be an extra step in making sure the animals we have are going to the best homes possible," Mullins told WKU Public Radio.
Mullins says the registry may help communities on a larger scale since there is often a link between animal abuse and human violence.
Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill this year that created the animal abuse registry, the first of its kind in the country. First-time offenders will remain on the list for two years, while the names of multiple offenders will stay on the registry for five years.
