The Animal Legal Defense Fund is out with its annual ranking of the best places to be a pet in America. (Or, in a dark world, the best places to be an animal abuser.)

Out of the surrounding areas, Virginia ranked the highest at No. 13 based on an analysis of animal abuse laws. D.C. is the 20th best state or jurisdiction to be a pet, while Maryland came in a miserable 44th out of 56.

Because D.C. and the two states weren’t the best or the worst, there is no blurb explaining their ranking. But the report “assesses the strength of each jurisdiction’s animal protection laws by examining over 4,000 pages of statutes” and distilling them into 15 “distinct animal protection laws categories.”

1. General prohibitions
2. Penalties
3. Exemptions
4. Mental health evaluations & counseling
5. Protective orders
6. Cost mitigation & recovery
7. Seizure/impoundment
8. Forfeiture and post-conviction possession
9. Non-animal agency reporting of suspected animal cruelty
10. Veterinarian reporting of suspected animal cruelty
11. Law enforcement policies
12. Sexual assault
13. Fighting
14. Offender registration
15. “Ag gag” legislation

The fives states with the strongest laws against animal abuse are Illinois, Oregon, Michigan, Maine and California.