Animal Abuse

By: Lexie Smith    

In one survey, 71% of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets. “Incidences of animal cruelty reported to the Michigan State Police rose 575 percent statewide between 2016 and 2017, the latest year for which figures are available, according to the MSP’s 2017 Quality Assurance Report.” The list goes on and on of new “Weekly Reports” of animal abuse. It's very sad that animals have to go through all the pain either just for money or no reason! Animals should be able to live with no worries. 

Animal Abuse is defined as the infliction by omission or by commission by humans of suffering or harm upon any non-human. Eerie, right? When most people think of animal abuse, they think of dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals. However, according to recent discoveries, livestock abuse is also on the rise. One example of a livestock abuse case was in Massachusetts. Twenty-six tenants who rented space on a property owned by a farmer were found guilty on one hundred, fifty-five accounts of animal cruelty involving mistreatment of one thousand, four hundred animals.  The farmer was caught only after thousands of animals had to suffer from horrific abuse! According to the press release by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, some animals, “were living in such deep manure waste that their hooves had rotted off and they were suffering from painful eye, intestinal and skin ailments.” The outstanding number of animals in need of care, and the cruel and unsanitary conditions we found were deplorable.” Reported by the Boston Globe, this included, “cows trapped in barbed wire” and “emaciated dogs kept on short chains in pens littered with broken glass.” The local police department said it looked like more than just one crime scene. It could be multiple. This is just one appalling scene found and multiple more ones to go.

          Another disgusting and spine-chilling case was found where twelve dogs were found dead, wrapped in plastic in a freezer. Investigators found that many of the dogs were living in urine and feces-filled crates with no food or water. Several nursing mothers had puppies stuffed in plastic and wire crates tucked in a closet.  The animals’ owner claimed that they were selling them for profit, but it's still unclear. The surviving puppies were taken to get examined and given care.

          Almost 100% of animals are in our food chain. Dogs and many other pets help give back to humans and society, and most humans don’t even notice it. They protect us, comfort us, and help people who suffer from debilitating health conditions such as loss of eyesight and PTSD to live a life that is as normal as possible.

          So, what can you do if you notice an animal that appears to be suffering from one or more of these issues? Call your local animal welfare agency right away! In most areas, someone from the local animal control agency, humane organization, or animal shelter will have to investigate and enforce the local anti-cruelty laws, but if you don’t know who’s in charge in your city or town, you can always call the police non-emergency number to find out who to report the abuse to. I think that the best way to fight cruelty is to teach as many people as possible how their pets should be treated and what they should never ever do. You can help spread the word by using your own community to do so. For example, you can share messages about the right way to treat animals on social media or offer to teach a class at an elementary school.

          At the very least, I think people need to stand up for what they believe in when they see animal cruelty and take a stand by reporting the behavior. The more abusive pet owners are punished, the less likely others are to do the same thing.