Some lasting good may come from the case of Susie, the pit bull-shepherd mix who was beaten and burned by her master.

Lashawn Whitehead was prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but that only meant probation.

He did receive six to eight months in prison, but for setting personal property on fire, not animal abuse. That makes no sense.

So, animal rights advocates are pushing for tougher penalties, and state Sen. Don Vaughan of Greensboro has taken up the cause.

Vaughan proposed changing the penalty for animal abuse from a Class I felony, the least severe, to a Class F felony, which would allow a judge to levy a prison sentence.

That provision, added as an amendment to a bill involving puppy mills, deserves the public's and other lawmakers' support.

Susie's case, rightly, has captured our hearts. At the same time, it's worth remembering that animal cruelty extends far beyond the type of horrific treatment Susie miraculously survived.

That includes the unconscionable numbers routinely abandoned and euthanized in Guilford County and throughout the state.