What Else is going on?
End Animal Abuse
What is animal abuse? Animal abuse or cruelty is purposely inflicting harm, injuring, or killing an animal. The abuse can be intentional, such as burning, kicking, beating, stabbing, or shooting. Animal abuse can also involve neglect. Neglect can be depriving an animal of food, shelter, water, or necessary medical treatment.
Most cases of animal abuse and cruelty are never reported and the animal will continue to suffer. All animals can be abused however it is most common with dogs, cats, horses, and livestock. Dogfighting and other forms of organized animal abuse go hand in hand with other crimes but will continue because of public corruption. Research has also found that those who abuse their significant other or child tend to target and abuse animals as well. In one survey, 71% of domestic violence-related victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets.
It has been estimated that there are between 900 and 2,000 new cases of animal hoarding every year. Over 250,000 animals fall victim to this cruelty. Yearly statistics have found that 10 million animals die from animal abuse in the US alone. Research and numbers have allowed us to say safely that 100 million animals suffer abuse worldwide every year. Animal abuse has been known to increase anxiety and have other negative effects on the animal's psychological and physical well-being.
What happens to animal abusers? For the cases that are reported the severity of the case determines the punishment for the abuser. Severe cases can lead to imprisonment. Some other options for less severe cases are family counseling, community service, or placement in a program and a prohibition on owning animals.
What can you do to help? There are many things you can do to help end animal abuse. One thing you can do is to report any signs of abuse that you see. The earlier the abuse is reported then the faster it can be put to an end. Donating to shelters or organizations that work specifically with dogs who have been through abuse also helps. Many of the dogs that are rescued have psychological and physical problems that have to be worked through. Extra funding and support helps these shelters to give the surviving dogs a happy ending.
What You Can Do
Some things you can do to help end animal abuse are taking proper care of your own pets, donating to rescue groups, teaching kids compassion for animals, reporting animal abuse when you see it, spaying and neutering your pets, and supporting your local animal shelter. Some of these things might seem small, however, they can have an impact on the end of animal abuse.