Table of Contents
Animal Cruelty, is a growing problem in our American society. This is an extremely important issue because dogs are like humans. They eat, sleep, and need water like humans therefore they do not need to be abused like trash. There are plenty of ways dogs can be abused. The focus here will be on the maintenance of a domesticated animal. Domesticated animals require a great deal of compassion from its owner. Cruelty to animal is unacceptable and illegal here in the United States, particularly the common forms of torture practice and prosecuted.
Poor body condition and noticeable trauma within today’s society, Americans do not stress the importance of the physical condition of animals. Animals need to be taken care of because if they do not receive the proper care they can die. Owners can also can extreme consequences. Dogfighting, cockfighting and other forms of organized animal cruelty go hand in hand with other crimes, and continues into many areas of the United States due to public corruption. (Animal cruelty facts and stats 2018). If this type of cruelty continues many people will face jail time and many animals will continue to suffer.
When animals are abused, they are not the only ones getting hurt, the abusers may be hurt too. The abusers may not be physically abused but they still face a form of maltreatment. This can come in the form of financial pain where fines have to be paid along with court fees. Abusers can also loose time from work or other daily activities due to court appearances. Where the most strains effect of their actions can sometimes be as extreme as jail time. Dog fights, cockfights, and even beating your pet on your own can have serious consequences both for you and the animal involved.
The animals being abused are exactly what is stated, abused. These animals who endure physical trauma also experience mental trauma. An animal is a creature that needs, hurts, feel, breathes and operates within its natural norm. Animals have feelings. This is a known fact. If an animal is hurt it droops it head in sadness or charges with anger. With this being said, just as a human being is abused and goes through counseling, why is there not animal consolidation. These animals go through physical pain that can result in emotional pain. In addition to the veterinarian we should provide counseling for these creatures. Physical harm can harm an animal mentally affecting its mental state.
Lack of food or water. When you are deprived of natural niceties it is a fight for survival. Imagine being an animal who cannot pour water from a faucet or go to the grocery store to get food. These animals are deprived daily of food and water, this is a form of cruelty. Food balances the body’s reaction levels. Water hydrates while food gives the body energy. “Proper food” means providing each animal with daily food of sufficient quality and quantity to prevent unnecessary or unjustifiable suffering by the animal. “Proper water” means providing each animal with daily water of sufficient quality and quantity to prevent unnecessary or unjustifiable suffering by the animal (Favre “the animal law”). In Louisiana there are laws set in place for animal owners to protect animals from this type on neglect.
Just as we need food and water animals need the same. It is cruel to ignore basic needs of any creature. Ignoring the needs of your cats, dogs, or even livestock is a crime. When we choose to ignore the need of a sustainable amount of food or water its not just a crime its inhumane. This is why animal shelters are used. These shelters take abused animals off the streets and provide them with the basic needs of life.
When we are hungry, we get angry. Imagine a pit bull who is starving. This dog becomes vicious and threatening. This sort of neglect can result in attacks on humans. If an animal is hungry enough it will go into survival mode. When any creature is looking to survive it will turn to extreme measures to ensure its own wellbeing. When we subject any creature to dehydration or starvation, we are placing that being in a fragile state. This state can result in emotional distress or even death for that creature. When this is done to an animal by a person that person can face extreme legal consequences.
Abandoned
When an animal is abandoned and left without its owner it can be subjected to a harsh life. Without its owner an animal can be deemed helpless in the world on its own. Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. We estimate that the number of dogs and cats entering U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 7.2 million in 2011 (Pet Statistics). These are millions of animals who were helpless in the united states. These are millions of animals who lived on the streets possibly battered and abused. Animals left to fend for themselves mostly end up in shelters.
Most abandoned animals are pets left alone, or put out by its owners. Theses abandoned animals are subjected to starvation, harsh weather conditions, and even violence. When these animals are abandoned, they do not have anyone to provide them with meals or clean water. The lack of adequate water can cause deadly diseases. Leaving these animals to suffer and die on the streets of America. These animals are also stripped of shelter and are forced to live in the cold and sometimes rain. All of these factors play into violence.
Living in extreme weather causes a struggle for shelter. Because there are so many abandoned animals there are limited places to take shelter. This forces these animals to fight each other in order to obtain basic necessities. Once these animals experience fighting to obtain something, they continue to fight to keep it. They become vicious street animals feared by the people who they once loved. If a pet is found abandoned there are consequences for its owner. Some animals never have an owner and are born on the streets. These animals only contribute to the growing number of abandoned animals.
Works cited
- “Animal Cruelty Facts and Stats.” The Humane Society of the United States, www.humanesociety.org/resources/animal-cruelty-facts-and-stats.
- “The Animal Law.” Edited by David Favre, Animal Law Legal Center, Michigan State University College of Law, www.animallaw.info/site/contact-us.
- “Pet Statistics.” ASPCA www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-andsurrender/pet-statistics.