Animal Cruelty In the United States, an animal is abused every 60 seconds. Neglected and terrified, these animals are constantly fighting for their lives (“Every Animal Deserves a Second Chance”). As common and harmful as it is, animal cruelty was not a felony in all 50 states until just a few months ago (March 14, 2014) when South Dakota effectively set the new law, making animal abuse a crime countrywide (Berry). Just because animal abuse is illegal, doesn’t mean that people aren’t continuing to commit these atrocious acts of violence. Although laws against animal cruelty do help supply most of the animals in the United States with legal protection, they do not adequately aid the progress of animal’s rights. There are approximately
There are many indicators of how likely a person is to commit domestic violence, but of the most compelling, is a history of pet abuse violence (“Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty”). It is five times as likely that the nauseating people who abuse animals also assault humans ("Animal Cruelty and Domestic Violence - Animal Legal Defense Fund"). It has also been confirmed that the most dangerous types of domestic batterers are those who also abuse animals; this is because they are more violent and controlling. Researchers have verified that children who are abused, or have been exposed to domestic violence, are three times more likely to abuse or neglect animals than those children who have not been around the same violence (“Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty”). This outrageous fact is one that every parent should take into consideration before attempting to express violence around children. The link between animal abuse and domestic violence is so common that social services often starts investigation for a family in trouble by examining the family’s animals (“Facts About Animal Abuse & Domestic Violence”). According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, “the truth is that a person who harms animals will likely
Oogy was a loving and loyal puppy, ten weeks old and only weighing an unbelievably dainty twenty pounds when some vulgar, despicable “human” tied him up and used him as bait for a—bred to be—vicious, full grown pit bull to tear apart. Somehow, by a miracle perhaps, Oogy was struggling for survival when the police found him locked up in a cage, bleeding to death, his jaw was shattered and his left ear ripped off (Levin). Another anger-inducing incident of animal cruelty involves Dolly, a playful pit bull around the age of six, who was scheduled to be euthanized because of the remnants her abusers left on her. Dolly was blind and had a baseball bat attack her until her skull cracked and she suffered brain damage; her right ear was hanging on by a thread and she was completely buried in burns and scabs that fire brought to her. Fortunately, the volunteers at an animal rescue organization in New York City were able to eradicate all of the injuries that Dolly acquired except her vision, which was permanently impaired from the brain damage she obtained ("Animals Abused & Abandoned"). These tragic incidents of innocent animals being brutally abused could be easily avoided if non-intentional animal abuse was a felony, and it was a requirement for animal owners to understand and be informed about
Robert Gonzales is only one of many people to commit animal cruelty. Kevin Brunson was also accused of harming an animal. He starved his dog, Rambo, until he weighed only fifty-one pounds. A normal dog his size would weigh around one hundred and twenty-five pounds. Rambo was seventy-four pounds underweight. A dog named, Lacey had scabbing around the eyes and other injuries from being abused. “Lashawn Whitehead of Greensboro, admitted to police that she beat her dog for fifteen minutes, then set it on fire. The dog ran away, and she was found. Her injuries were burned ears, a broken jaw, and teeth. She was adopted into a new loving family.” (Cawthon 2) All animals are affected when it comes to animal abuse. Horses have been reported to be starved and in very poor living conditions. Owners don’t clean stalls, feed the animals, or take care of the horses grooming needs. The horses become depressed to due to the lack of care they receive. Sixteen horses were found at Gina Rapuano’s Farm, Apache, Willy, and Destiny are merely three of the horses greatly in need of care. Apache was starved so much you could see his ribs; he was infested with worms, and needed hoof and dental care. Willy had trouble walking, and horrible eye infections. Destiny had such bad dental care that he could not eat properly, and was starving. “The horses eyes were dull; they were not alert. They t...
Ascione’s (1993) definition of animal cruelty is defined as “socially unacceptable behavior that intentionally causes unnecessary pain, suffering, or distress to and/or death of an animal” exclusive of socially condoned behavior, such as legal hunting and certain agricultural and veterinary practices. Not all violent individuals have been previously cruel to animals but studies have shown that a great number of them have exhibited this behavior. A great majority of the literature calls for a better understandin...
Animal abuse is currently happening everywhere in this world, and this can only stop if everyone acknowledges and stands up for what is right. However, the cause of animal abuse can lead to so many questions asked in our society through the secondary data analysis that the questions will then be answered. In fact, conflict theory will be the one applied to the abuse of animals. Lastly, a hypothetical mean of collecting primary data on animal abuse can then be answered. To put it briefly, this research paper is focusing on why family professionals can no longer ignore violence towards animals, the feminism and treatment of animals, and animal liberation and rights, to examine the causes that lead to animal abuse when animal abuse is being announced.
“Mom! Mom! The dogs got Cody. The dogs got Cody” (Vancouver Sun, 2007). Just a few days after Christmas in 2004, these are the cries that awoke Sheri Fontaine. Fontaine raced from her bed into the living room to find her three-year old son, Cody Fontaine, savaged by the dogs that were staying temporarily in her house. Tragically, young Cody did not survive the attack. A young life taken, a mother’s life ruined. Sadly, this story is not as uncommon as one of violence against people, they exhibit highly stubborn characteristics that make them difficult to control, and such bans have proven to be extremely effective.
In 18 August, 2011, the source of this event is from Herald Sun. A four-year-old lovely child named Ayen Chol was mauled and killed by a pit bull cross while she was playing in her home. The vicious pit bull escaped from a neighbour’s yard and mauled Ayen in a sudden attack. The dog rushed inside the house and set upon Ayen and some other children who were watching television. Ayen’s mom tried to beat the dog away from the children with a table, but she failed. Then the dog turned on Ayen and the vicious injuries caused Ayen’s death. Dr Cam Day, who is the RSPCA’s Queensland pit bull expert, has claimed that American pit bull terriers are ‘head, shoulder, feet and everything else above other breeds’ in terms of their capacity to injure and maim. If the government doesn’t ban pit bulls, these tragedies would continue to happen and children’s lives would be threatened all the
...althy individual, this is a warning.” There are deep psychological issues that lead to violent crimes against people” (cfawr). What is more shocking is that most animal abusers abuse animals for entertainment of both themselves and others, and to show their aggressiveness.
Animals are used today for many sources of protection, food, clothing, transportation, sports, entertainment, and labor, but millions of these animals die each year from abuse. “Most of the reasons that people give for denying animals rights are: animals do not have souls, god gave humans dominion over the animals, humans are intellectually superior to animals, humans are intellectually superior to animals, animals do not reason, think, or feel pain like humans do, animals are a natural resource to used as humans see fit, and animals kill each other” (Evans). It all started in the nineteenth century, when people began abusing animals by beating them, feeding them poorly, providing them with no shelter or poor shelter, left to die if they were sick or old, or by cruel sports. Most of the organized efforts to improve human treatment of animals all started in England. Around the 1800s, there was signs of rising concern for animal welfare in the United States.
Animal cruelty is a rapidly growing nationwide problem. Animals are being battered and starved everyday. There are many forms of animal cruelty; some forms are scientific research, abandonment, and mistreatment.
Seeing maimed animals are not pleasant images. Those images sometimes appear across computer and television screens. The advocacy groups who place these images in the public’s view are trying to jolt people into the realization that abuse exists. For every ten seconds that goes by an animal is getting abused (“Animal… Statistics”). One statistic states that “71% of pet-owning women entering women’s shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims; 32% reported their children had hurt or killed animals” (“Animal… Violence”). Animal cruelty comes in several forms, some of which people do not know. There is animal experimenting, animal abuse, and mistreatment of animals. and through revealing the results from research, one discovers the horrific effects of animal abuse.
The Humane Society of the United States reported from U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that around 10.2 million women and men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner in the U.S every year, and 62 percent of the U.S. have at least one pet. Pet abuse is one of the four predictors of domestic violence within a household. The Humane Society also reported a survey that was conducted by Frank R. Ascione, a professor at University of Denver, that 71 percent of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted their animal. Criminals convicted of abusing animals often receive only a small fine, are put on probation or receive some equally ineffective punishment. This causes a false belief that it 's not that bad to kill or torture an animal and potentially dangerous offenders may continue or escalate their criminal and/or violent behavior. Creating stricter laws and making all animal cruelty cases a felony will prevent the amount of domestic violence within a
Executive Summary Every 60 seconds, an animal is abused. Dogs, cats, horses, and many other types of animals are being neglected and tortured everyday, yet resulting in few and minor consequences for the perpetrators. Animal abuse is prevalent in the United States and has been an ongoing issue since the 1970's, and prior to. Society as a whole has chosen to avoid the facts and arguments about animal cruelty, because to some it is seen as acceptable and typical. It becomes much more frowned upon when people actually see the results of the cruelty, especially in the media.
The abuse that animals endure at human hands is heartbreaking, sickening, and infuriating. Animals are just as delicate as humans, so why not abuse us too? Animal lives should be just important as ours. No animals should be killed or abused for testing, entertaining, clothing, or hoarding. Every year, millions of animals are being killed and torture for testing.
A 2-year-old boy has died after being attacked by his family's pit bull. "It was like a horror movie. It was like something I've never seen before," said one woman who asked to remain anonymous. "We're traumatized” (Milligan). The images are still in our minds.
Although PETA is often the first to rescue pets when tragic events take place, they kill 84 percent of animals within 24 hours of their arrival (McWilliams). According to PETA spokesperson Amanda Schinke, who proceeded to state that “euthanasia is a product of love for animals who have no one to love them.” Schinke also stated that “sometimes [animals] need the comfort of being put out of their misery -- a painless release from a world in which they were abused and unwanted” (McWilliams). With claims that PETA kills animals on the rise, PETA claims that it does not run a traditional shelter, and that it only euthanizes animals that are too sick or injured to continue their lives. Yet, in November of 2014, it was reported that PETA employees took a family’s Chihuahua without a
For animal welfare and the causes of animal abuse new research has been created. Since animal abuse is fairly a new subject, new research is constantly brought up. In the Bahamas a study was done in the College of Bahamas, and it states that, “…dogs were equally likely to be considered members of the household in homes without domestic violence,” (Fielding 197). Homes with violence show that humans substitute human victims for animal victims. Animal rights activists are trying to break down symbolic boundaries betw...