Animal Cruelty

We’ve all seen it and done nothing, we’ve all heard of it and said nothing, we’ve all come across it and ignored it. Animal cruelty is something that happens daily and that is ignored a lot. But, what people don’t know is that there are many ways to stop it and to report the abuse and cruelty. Animal abuse and cruelty is just a very repulsive act of harm. It can happen anywhere, farms, houses, circuses, shops, street and even in shelters! According to dosomething.org, “4 to 5 million animals die in shelters every year” and “Elephants who perform in circuses are often kept in chains for as long as 23 hours a day from the time they are babies.” It’s very sad to see how animals are treated and used. According to PETA, “the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry” (peta.org). So animal cruelty just doesn’t involve neglect or abandonment, it also involves testing for new products on the market, for luxurious fur coats, and even for entertainment purposes like in a circus.

There are many cases and ways to classify animal cruelty. There are two types of animal abuse, passive cruelty and active cruelty. “Passive cruelty is typified by cases of neglect, where the crime is a lack of action rather than the action itself…” and another is “Active cruelty implies malicious intent, where a person has deliberately and intentionally caused harm to an animal, and is sometimes referred to as NAI (Non-Accidental Injury)” (pet-abuse.com). Both types of abuse are horrible and very painful and sad for the animals to go through. In my opinion, active cruelty is repulsive and very disturbing, “…but Zim go the third one, and stood over it, pounding…” (Bass 389). Its repulsive to see how some people do harm to animals and don’t feel guilty or bad about what they did. It’s especially sad when it happens to the ones that can’t do anything about it or they can’t defend themselves, like small unprotected puppies.

There are many cases and types of animal cruelty. The worst ones are those that are ignored, “I didn’t say anything, not even when Zim came huffing back up to the porch, walking like a man who had just gone out to get the morning paper. There was blood speckled around the cuffs of his pants, and even then I said nothing” (Bass 389). There are ways that someone can report the abuse of animals, two distinguished associations are ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). But there are steps you must take before you report an abuse because it can also be a little hard to tell if an animal is being abused, physical and environment signs are a big factor. According to ASPCA, an example of a physical sign would be, “Collar so tight that it has caused a neck wound or has become embedded in the pet’s neck” and an environmental sign would be, “Pets are tied up alone outside for long periods of time without adequate food or water, or with food or water that is unsanitary” (aspca.org). There are many, many more sometimes obvious and sometimes hidden signs to prove that an animal is going through abuse and suffering.

People should really be concerned about animal cruelty because it truly is a serious matter that needs a lot of attention. Some people don’t report abuse because of they are scared that the owners finding out or just because of the simple fact that they don’t know how. Those shouldn’t be factors in keeping an animal from being saved and getting the correct help or treatments if necessary. Every animal should be treated right and loved, animals have feelings too and they NEED love and the feeling that someone cares for them. So, if anyone ever sees animal cruelty they shouldn’t have to think twice before reporting it. Animals are essential for life.

Works Cited

ASPCA. 2012. 7 May 2012. < http://www.aspca.org/Home/Fight-Animal-Cruelty>.

Bass, Rick. “’Days of Heaven.’ from In The Loyal Mountains.” 1995. The Literary West: An Anthology of Western American Literature. Ed Thomas J. Lyon. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 384-395. Print.

DoSomething.org. 2012. 8 May 2012. < http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-animal-cruelty>.

Elephant chained. 19 Sep. 2011. Buzzle.com. Web. 8 May 2012.

Owner with dog. 8 Jul. 2011. vetskitchen.co.uk. Web. 8 May 2012.

Pet-Abuse.com. 2001-2012. 8 May 2012. < http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/animal_cruelty.php>.

PETA. 2012. 7 May 2012. < http://www.peta.org/issues/default.aspx>.

Skinny brown dog. 13 Nov. 2011. layingdownthelawlessness.wordpress.com. Web. 8 May 2012.

The Truth Behind Every Fur Coat - Animal Cruelty MUST be stopped. 23 Apr. 2010. furisbetteronanimals.webs.com. Web. 8 May 2012.