Animal Abuse

By: Olivia N.

       Does 10 million dead animals sound like a lot to you? Well, that’s how many animals die per year due to animal abuse. Animal abuse is just wrong, and no pet or animal deserves to be a victim. 

       In one story, a crossbreed dog was left in a hot car in the parking lot of a superstore. He was in the car barking and breathing heavily. The staff of the store made two announcements on the PA to the owner, but he didn’t come and get the dog out of the car. Luckily, the dog made an escape through a window a police officer smashed in.

       Animals whose abuse is the most reported are dogs, cats, horses, and livestock. “There are approximately 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats in the U.S where 20 men and women are assaulted per minute,” states the Human Society website. In a survey taken, 71% of domestic violence victims said that their abuser was also violent towards animals, which means that just as much as humans are in danger, so are animals.

       Two kinds of animal abuse are neglect and hoarding. Neglect occurs when an owner doesn't pay attention to their animal, and doesn't give it the proper care it needs. Hoarding happens when an owner has too many animals to take care of each one properly and usually comes from having a hoarding disorder. In a survey taken by school aged children, 30% admitted to committing some sort of animal cruelty throughout their life. 

       Signs that an animal may be undergoing abuse are poor body condition, severe matting, filthy, can’t walk or limping, lack of food or water, lack of sanitation, tied or caged, and many more. 16,573 animal cruelty cases are reported each year (average). Groups that have worked to reduce animal cruelty have sometimes merged other violence situations together, because usually, people who abuse animals are also violent towards others. 

       Two men were given prison sentences after they abused a cat in a prank. They threw the cat up in the air very high, and the cat spun in the air and hit the ground. They both thought it was funny, and one of them even said, “hope you got nine lives, mister.” A veterinarian watched the video and claimed that after, the cat had a panic attack and was struggling to get up. Every year, there is an increase in the number of animal shelter beds in places for victims of animal abuse. The more reports there are about types of animal abuse and targeted animals helps deeper investigation about how to prevent and look out for the animals. 

       Animal abuse is a horrible thing. The next time you see a distressed animal, make sure to speak out and let someone know. Just as much as humans may be in danger, so are animals. Nobody deserves to be treated poorly, including an innocent animal. It’s our job to take care of them by using our voice.