Animal abuse tends to take the backseat to human abuse but it can often be the first signs of an abusive personality and of possible physical and emotional abuse of a person. Abusing animals is can be the first sign of a potential serial killer. Organizations both big, such as PETA and the Humane Society, and small, such as The Pegasus Project, work to rescue, rehabilitate, and ideally rehome abused and neglected animals.
Many domestic violence reports state that the abuse started with the abuser harming the victim’s pet before the victim was ever even touched. A recent study done by the American Humane Association states that among pet-owning women entering protective shelters 71% reported that their abuser had harmed or threatened their pets for revenge or to gain psychological control over them. 87% of these events took place in front of the women. Also, between 25% and 40% of these women don’t escape abusive situations because they worry about what will happen to their pets if they leave. Abusers will just as often harm or threaten children’s pets to coerce them either into sexual abuse or to remain silent about abuse. Some disturbed children kill or harm animals to mimic their parents’ conduct or to have power over another victim like their abuser does over them.
Many of the abusers who use animals to get their way become very dangerous people. Some are high profile murderers such as Jeffery Dahmer, who impaled dogs, cats, and frogs onto stakes, and Albert DeSalvo (also known as the Boston Strangler), who used to trap dogs and cats in orange crates and shoot arrows through the crates. Other killers are less well known but just as brutal. For example, many high school shooters had begun their killing spree long before becomi...
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...don’t seem to be very major, such as minor cases of animal hoarding, can create very big problems. Everyone also needs to be looking out for possible cases of animal fighting so all the underground fight rings can be shut down and the act can be stopped for good. No animal should suffer for any reason just because one person thinks it isn’t a big deal because “it’s just an animal”.
Works Cited
American Humane: Protecting Children and Animals Since 1877. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. .
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The Animal Rights Organization | PETA.org. Web. 04 Feb. 2011. .
Pet-Abuse.Com - Home. Web. 04 Feb. 2011. .
The Pegasus Project, Inc. | Facebook." Web. 03 Feb. 2011. .
"Animal Abuse and Neglect." The Humane Society of the United States. The Humane Society of the United States, n.d. Web. 23 Mar 2014. .
"Animal Cruelty and Human Violence : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. N.p.,
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...
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated.” (Gandhi). Sadly it seems that there is much to be desired from America. Over the past few years there has been an increase in animal abuse, sadly numerous cases go unreported and unrecognized. It is estimated by the HSUS that every year nearly one million animals are abused or killed with connections of domestic violence. From this growing issue, it is seen that humans have power over animals.
Animal cruelty is just one reason why animal abuse is bad. Part of the problem is people who hurt animals don’t do it on purpose they just do not know how to take care of the animals (Mason 6). Other times people enjoy engaging in watching two animals fight. Some owners test them to see if they are good fighting dogs and if they are not they kill their dogs This one owner killed his dogs that would not fight by hanging,drowning and slamming the dogs (Dohrmann). Most of the time when the animals fight one of the animals dies and the other of is badly injured (Mason 31). The people that watch place bets on which dog they think will win. This is cruel to the animal because they have to fight if they don’t they may die. If they don’t die they
On the other hand, just as there are laws there are many weak laws that have been enforced to protect animals from cruelty. As a matter of fact not only are the laws weak, but they are also rarely enforced. The reason being is because police officers and public presecutors frequently view animal cru...
When an animal is beaten, it not only causes the animal to be physically harmed, but it can also result in the animal receiving severe psychological damage. The abuse can cause the animal to become afraid of all humans, whether they are abusive or not. Not only can the victim become afraid of humans, it can cause it to even be hostile towards people and other animals. For example, if a dog’s previous owner was abusive, that can end in the dog being aggressive towards others due to its fear of being hurt like he/she was in the past. A tremendous part of animal cruelty that people do not recognize is the abuse of animals is linked to the abuse of humans in many cases. Animal neglect correlates with human neglect, which usually involves a child, elder, or other dependent (Animal Legal Defense Fund). In a survey, seventy-one percent of domestic violence victims said that their abuser also turned their household pet into a victim of abuse (Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics). In a study completed in 1983, eighty-eight percent of families under investigation for child abuse partook in animal abuse along with the abuse of their child (Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics). Not only does this cruelty affect the victims, but it can also affect the ones witnessing the violence. When someone is in the presence of violence of an animal or another person, it can affect the
“There can be many reason for animal cruelty, like any other form of violence, is often committed by a person who feels powerless, unnoticed, or under control of others. Some who are cruel to animals copy acts what they have seen or that have been done to them, others see harming an animal as a safe way to get revenge against--or threaten-- someone who cares about that animal”. (“Animal… Statistics”) Concerns towards abusing animals have gone up in the past. Although there are not many cases on animal abuse, many have occurred. Abusers are charged with Criminal Animal Abuse and then sentenced to life in prison. Some animals that are physically abused are sometimes rescued by Animal Control, and are taken it to an animal shelter. However, many shelters have not had the space to keep the animals so the workers would have to put them down (Carol Roach). Researchers have shown that the main animals getting abused are dogs, chickens, horses, and livestock (“Animal...
The ugly truth is that animals are dying at the hands of their owners everyday, some in very violent ways that can be avoidable given the right solution. Slaughterhouses, puppy mills, dog fighting, and so on, are just a few examples of how animals are being treated badly by people. Animal cruelty is a form of violence which, un...
There are many debates around the world about the topic of animal abuse. Animal abuse in the food industry has become a major problem due to the cruel treatment of animals. Most of the world's population might think that animal cruelty is only found in homes and on the street, but they forget about the other forms of animal abuse that affect the food industry. Large contributors to animal abuse are due to fishing methods, animal testing, and slaughterhouses. "Animals have always been a major part of our society in history and they have played huge roles in agriculture" (ASPCA). Factory farming is a system of confining chickens, pigs, and cattle under strictly controlled conditions. Slaughterhouses are places where animals are killed
Many people who abuse animals do not realize that they are actually hurting animals, this is known as unintentional. When some people try to discipline their pets they use tactics that they think is acceptable, when in reality is probably not the best way. People also abuse animals due to lack of attention, such as forgetting to feed and water the animals for a number of days. A family may take the animals with them when they leave the house, and forget to leave a window down with the animal inside. One of the biggest unintentional ways of animal cruelty is a way that many people think is helpful but is actually has a negative impact on all of the animals involved, this idea is trying to take in more animals than one can handle, they have good intentions but this is harmful to animals because it forces them to live in unhealthy conditions. There are many new cases of animal hoarding every year, with over 250,000 animals falling victim. Puppy mills are large dog breeding’s that care more about making money than the wellbeing and health of the animals. Many dogs become ill with diseases such as kidney or heart disease as a result of the conditions in which they live.
Dogs are the most common victims of animal abuse with cats, horses, and livestock not following far behind.
Animal abuse is a travesty in our world that must be stopped. Every year, millions of animals suffer because of human actions, directly or indirectly. Whether it’s abused dogs and cats or even mistreated circus animals, their suffering is as real as it would be if it happened to us. Even animals who are raised on farms simply for human consumption should not have to suffer. One of the worst parts of humanity’s role in animal abuse is that there are easy ways for people to help that they are either ignorant of or simply refuse to do. There are many examples of animals who are abused by humans, but there are also ways for people to help prevent and put an end to animal abuse.
Towards animal welfare comes the aspect of animal cruelty. Animal cruelty is a fairly recent subject that has affected society. Animal cruelty has now shown comparisons through human abused households. The concern is recent because as society changes humans attitudes change which now affects towards animals. Animal welfare is used to help animal cruelty, because decreasing the violence between animals and humans can help the regulations of animal welfare. Research and testing have become more prominent and a strong concern to the public on the treatment on animals. Many activists today are trying to change the view people see toward the animal they have as a companion. Ethical issues are the many concerns about animals and the question always asked is,”who has the right to control the animal?”