I've always judged people based on how they interact with animals. If your voice raises three octaves when you meet my sweet little puppy, you're probably my kind of person. On the other hand, if you don't treat animals like the incredible creatures that they are, we're probably never going to get along.

Turns out, there's science that backs me up.

Psychological studies show that almost 70 percent of violent criminals began with animal abuse, and the FBI hopes that by tracking these types of crimes, they can intervene before the next Jeffrey Dahmer or Son of Sam moves on to their human victims---Dahmer began his crime spree by impaling the heads of dogs, frogs, and cats, while Son of Sam poisoned his mother's parakeet.

As of January 2016, the FBI will be tracking the dastardly crime of animal abuse. Now characterized as a top-tier, Group A Felony (joining the ranks of murder, assault, and similar crimes), animal abuse crimes will be designated between four different sub-categories: simple or gross neglect, intentional abuse or torture, organized abuse (such as dog fighting or cock fighting), and animal sexual abuse.

By changing the classification of these types of crimes, the FBI will easily be able to track animal abuse felonies nationally, and implement local intervention.

The FBI technically changed the classification in 2014, but January 2016 marks the actual start of data collection after significant database and training manual overhauls. The FBI has stated that data for animal abuse crimes will most likely be available within a few months.

Rather than include images or documentation of abused animals that shake me to my very core, I would like you all to enjoy a video that proves the difference that even just moments of love can make in an animal's life. Here's to the lives saved across the nation, big and small, because of this classification. Let's celebrate this victory for all of man's best friends.