This month, the FBI began collecting data on animal cruelty crimes and has officially made animal abuse a Group A felony – that is, on the same level as homicide, kidnapping, and assault.

Before, animal abuse cases were classified as minor crimes or “other offenses” – on the same level as crimes like trespassing or writing a bad check. Cases were not treated with much severity, and there was little information available on the offenders. But because animal cruelty is officially a crime against society, police officers will have to report any animal cruelty incidents to the FBI.

From there, the FBI will track four kinds of cruelty. And while they won’t be actually prosecuting the cases, the information they gather will be useful to track known offenders and patterns.

Not only can this save the lives of animals, but it has the potential to help humans as well. The Animal Welfare Institute says that violence towards animals is an early indicator of future violence towards humans. Amey Owens, from the AWI, says “with this information, law enforcement will be able to better track trends, plan policies, and allocate resources for intervention efforts with respect to both animal cruelty and those crimes for which animal cruelty serves as a marker.”

The strong correlation between animal abuse and future violence towards humans means that by tracking these incidents, the FBI can watch for other dangerous behavior. That’s not the only thing the data will be used for, though: being able to look at and analyze patterns in certain areas will help police find places where dogfighting is happening and stop the abuse earlier than in the past. And when this information is made more available to the public, it can help dog shelters and adoption centers keep animals out of the hands of known abusers.

This is one small bark for dog, one giant woof for dogkind.