The cruelty and abuse that many animals in the world take, is enough to make you want cry, vomit, and stop the unprovoked punishment. There are people trying to stop it all, but it is not enough. Still, there are thousands of animals being beaten and/or abused every day.
Have you ever gone past a pet shop and seen a fur ball with melt in your mouth eyes? You probably have, but have you ever wondered where that puppy was born. You may think it was born in a warm barn in the middle of Vermont. Well, you were WRONG! That puppy was most likely born in a puppy mill. A puppy mill is a large commercial dog breeding organization. But these mills are not happy places filled with dogs running and rolling around. Instead it is the exact opposite. They live in small cages, for almost all of their life, that are disgusting. The conditions are so bad that I cannot even start to explain. Also there are thousands of diseases that go untreated in these mills. Not to mention the fleas, mites, and heartworms that is not treated. Not only are the animals neglected of their regular veterinary care, but they are also mistreated and often beaten. When breeding the workers do not check the dog’s genes for hereditary defects. So many puppies can come out with behavior problems or physical deformities. This is also because the first few months of a puppy’s life are critical. It is when they need to be with their mother and litter as to prevent fear, anxiety, aggression, and extreme shyness from developing. In puppy mills the puppies are taken away at the age of 6 weeks. the dogs that are not sold and are used for reproduction, spend all of their time spent outdoors exposed to all elements or stuck in a cage never to smell fresh air and the feeling of sunlight. Now you may think that spending all of your time outside is heaven for a dog, but imagine being outside through all of winter. The dogs also do not get simple pleasures like toys, treats, or even grooming. They do not even get to do one of the most important things in training a good dog; they do not get to socialize with humans. To get the most puppies out of one dog, the workers over breed females to such a point that they cannot reproduce any more. Many are impregnated without time to recover from the last pregnancy. Once unable to reproduce any more the dogs are killed. All of these horrors are able to happen because some puppy mills are not licensed or inspected. All of this neglect and abuse was all created because people put money over the price of another animal’s suffering.
Neglect is another form of animal abuse. Neglect is when the right food, water, shelter, or veterinarian care is not given. Neglect can occur when someone has too many animals or just does not want to take care of their animal or animals. Negligence and hoarding are often connected because many of the animals that are hoarded are neglected. Also sometimes people abandon their pets, this is also considered to be neglect. Some people will not even treat their pet’s injuries that they inflicted or are created by accidents. Neglect is the most common sort of animal abuse. Neglect is quite often one of the worst sorts of animal abuse. This is because the animals are just left there to suffer and often die from, lack of places to escape to from the elements, dehydration, starvation, injuries, or diseases. One reason why horses are so often neglected is because not all of the 2 million Americans that own horses can actually afford them. Signs of negligence can be a collar so tight that a neck wound has appeared or the collar is embedded into the animal’s neck. Untreated skin conditions that result in loss of hair, scaly skin, bumps, or rashes. Extreme thinness (to such a point that the bones are clearly visible). Fleas, ticks, or other parasites that seem to have gone untreated. Inadequate grooming resulting in dirty coat, overgrown nails, or extreme matting of the fur are just some of the signs. so just imagine not being able to get what we take for granted, imagine that feeling and then you might just get a taste of what thousands of animals are feeling right now.


Once there was a horse, her name was Annabelle. After several years her loving owners could not afford to take care of her any more. So they sold her to a riding school. The riding school had to train Annabelle to become a school horse. To train her they beat and struck her. If she did something wrong she would have a whip cracked right across her shoulders and rump. Sometimes if she did something really wrong like buck a kid off her back she would be burned. To get her to move so that they could clean her stall they would hit her with their rakes until she moved. All of this left Annabelle with hundreds of scars and burns all along her body. When people asked about them the riding school just said that she was rescued from an abusive owner. When Annabelle became too old to do anything they shot her. Now imagine that you are being beaten for now reason at all. People will stab, shoot, set their animals on fire, hit, kick, and generally beat their pets. Why do they do this? Well people with emotional problems have been connected to animal beating. Also people that apply domestic violence have been connected to abusing animals. Beaten animals often can appear to be timid or afraid, but not all animals that are timid or afraid are being abused. Instead there might be signs like open wounds, signs of multiple healed wounds, an ongoing injury, or illness that isn't being treated. Also there could be weakness, limping, or the inability to stand or walk normally. Then there is the most obvious sign, an owner striking or physically abusing their animal. All of this is extremely hard to stop, but if people kept an eye out for these things and there were stricter laws against animal abuse, we might just have a chance at saving thousands of lives from a life of misery and suffering.


But there is another sort of life long suffering or animals and it is called animal hoarding. Animal hoarding is when an owner or owners have so many animals that they cannot take care of them and just leave them neglected. Many hoarders start out posing as rescue shelters. Often the owners love their animals but do not realize that anything is wrong, even if their pets are all dying. They believe that they are saving the animals. "I have worked with many animal hoarders in their homes. Their mental illness allows them to maintain an absolute denial of the filth and the suffering of the animals,” says Dr. Stephanie Lafarge, ASPCA Senior Director of Counseling Services. “They simply cannot see or smell or react to the situation as a normal person would. “We would get the animals out as soon as possible but law enforcement is not allowed to act until the conditions get really, really bad. Even after they get rescued, they often have to euthanize the animals because they are so sick or no one wants them. There are about 900 to 2000 new cases every year in the U.S. with about 1/4 million animals falling prey. It is believed that older people are at a greater risk at becoming an animal hoarder because of their isolation from the rest of the community and their failing health. You can usually identify an animal hoarder by how their house looks. Their home might be deteriorated (i.e., dirty windows, broken furniture, holes in wall and floor, extreme clutter). Or there is a strong smell of ammonia, and floors may be covered with dried feces, urine, vomit, etc. you could also look at their animals who could be incredibly lazy and not well socialized. Also there might be fleas and vermin on the animals. Just to give you an idea of what it is like to be a hoarded animal imagine taking one step and find yourself in about an inch of feces and urine. You then breathe in not fresh air but ammonia filled and intoxicating air. You take one more step and look up trying to see sunlight but there is none because the windows are covered with grime. Then you start picking your way around broken junk and dying cats. You have to pause and scratch yourself because you have fleas. You live like this all day, but did I mention that you can only use one eye because the other one is all closed up and soon you will die because you have a cut that got infected and was not treated.





Speaking of getting cut and then dying, dog and rooster fighting all have that in common. In fact rooster and dog fighting are now the most common of animal fighting. Animal fighting is when humans force animals to fight each other in pits for their own amusement. Dog fights go all the way back to the 1750's. Back then it may have not been illegal but it definitely is now. Never the less people still do all around the world. There are even different levels: street, hobby, and professional. But people do not just do it for amusement; they may do it for the money. The owner of a dog could get $20,000 to $30,000 for 1 fight. Even outside of the pit, dogs are treated badly. Sometimes if they lose they will be beaten or even killed. In America the most commonly used breed of dog is the pit bull. But most any dog can be used. They just have to have some prep work. The dogs get their ears and tails cut off because it decreases the amount of body language that a dog gives off and gives less area for the other dog to hold on to. When the tail and ears are cut off they are done so in very crude ways. Usually the fights can go on for several minutes to hours, and they usually do not fight to the death. But the dogs go away with many injuries and may succumb to them later. You may think that the dogs are vicious to humans as well as other dogs, but really they are very friendly to humans. Infect the dogs are bred and trained to be nice to humans, just vicious to other dogs. Rooster fighting is very similar, just they fight to the death with dagger like weapons strapped to their feet. But whether it is rooster or dog fighting, animal fighting is a disturbing, bloody, and inhumane event.





Have you ever wondered where those cuts of chicken and beef that you see at the grocery store and then on your plate came from? Did you ever think about what that bloody hunk of meat used to be? Or even what happened between a happy cow and a roast beef casserole. Well right after being a happy cow, the animal is supposed to be stunned almost painlessly and then have its throat slit. A quick, easy, and painless death, right? Nope wrong. Too often the animals are not stunned properly. There are 2 main types of stunning an animal. The first one is sending an electrical shock through the brain, knock the animal out. The second is having a pole sent flying at your temple which also will knock you out. This all results in animals being dismembered while still conscious. In fact some animals survive having their tails chopped off and their bellies ripped open. Anyone that could see this would stand up and make the horrors stop. But people don't in fear of losing their jobs. This way of animal processing even degrades the meat produced, because the fear and pain hormones released by the animals can damage the meat. A post computer analysis of government records found 527 violations of humane-handling regulations from 1996 to 1997, the last years for which complete records were available. 527 violations only in 1996-1997, who knows how many have happened in the past year seeing as the demand for meat has gone up. All of this is very hard to stop because the managers just deny it and anyone that works for them and reports them gets fired. I would tell you to try and think what it would be like to be one of those animals but i almost threw up when i did. But think about this, those animals are dyeing piece by piece.


Every day thousands of animals are experimented with in labs. This is called animal testing. People say that it saves millions of human lives, but at the same time it destroys thousands of animal’s lives. They go through so much damage and excruciating pain that would never be inflicted upon humans, and yet we feel it okay for the animals to go through it all. About 90 percent of the animals tested are rats and mice. But they will still use dogs, cats, sheep, hamsters, guinea pigs, and primates. In fact more than 15 million animals are used in research every year. Most of the animals do live in warm and clean cages, but that is only because there are now laws about it. The animal become very bored and under exercised because their stuck in cages for most of their lives. Out of the more that 15 million animals tested every year only about 1.4 million do not feel any pain during testing. Some of the animals are even used more than once. Many of the animals do not live out full lives and are euthanized. All of this is pretty bad, but things are getting better, there are stricter laws being put on place for animal testing. Never the less animal testing should be stopped, because who wants to live their whole life in cage with nothing to do and sometimes going through excruciating pain.


Tigers jumping through fury hoops, elephants dancing, lions doing tricks, who would not want to go and see that? Well, me, because have you ever wondered what makes an animal that is naturally afraid of fire, jump through fire hoops? I can tell you this they do not do it willingly. Trainers use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bull hooks, and other painful tools in the trade of forcing animals to perform. They get away with it because less than 100 U.S. departments of agriculture inspectors are assigned to monitor the 12,000 circuses in America. Every major circus that uses animals has been cited for violating the minimal standards of care set forth in the United States Animal Welfare Act. The circus industry claims that it only trains animals to do the types of tricks they might naturally perform in the wild. In reality, animals live their lives looking for food, sleeping, or raising their babies. Costumed bears lying on their backs spinning giant balls, tigers jumping through flames, or elephants walking on their hind legs then balancing on their heads, are not natural behaviors. When circuses show unnatural and inaccurate images of how wild animals live and act, in such an unrealistic way, this creates a greater disconnect between people and wild animals, giving the idea that it's acceptable, even fun to use animals for entertainment. Everyone knows that circuses travel a lot and that the animals come with them. In fact most circuses travel 48 weeks per year and the animals spend about 26 hours in cages during travel. For about 11 months a year they travel leaving the animals in box cars with no climate control. They are forced to sleep, eat and go to the bathroom all in the same place. About 96 percent of a circus animal’s life is spent in chains and cages. So obviously they become bored. Most of the animals obtain many repetitive and destructive habits. This is caused by extreme stress and boredom. These animals become extremely physically and mentally deprived. Because of their small quarters and very limited mobility many circus animals develop many joint problems. Many circuses also pose a threat to the public. This is because some of their animals escape. In more than 35 dangerous incidents since 2000, elephants have bolted from circuses, run through streets, crashed into buildings, attacked members of the public, and killed and injured handlers. People just do not remember that they are still wild animals. Circuses are portrayed as places of laughter and fun, but behind the fancy costumes, tassels, and glitter there are wild animals beaten into submission and forced to entertain us. Their chained legs signify their life.


Many organizations are trying to stop animal abuse and the animals affected by it. Some of these people are:
?
Humane Society of the United States
?
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
?
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
?
Local Animal Shelters
?
Local Police





There are many surprising facts and statistics out there about animal abuse but here are a few:
?
Neglect and abandonment are the most common forms of animal abuse in the United States.
?
Continuous chaining is illegal in some parts of the country.
?
Pit bull dogs are the most common victims of animal cruelty.
?
71% of domestic violence victims report that their abuser also targeted their animal.
?
Animal Cruelty is broken down into two categories: active and passive.
?
Active cruelty is generally neglected. Examples are starvation, dehydration, parasite infestation, etc.
?
Passive Cruelty is abuse with malicious intent. People who maliciously abuse animals have been linked to being a sociopath.
?
32.4% of the animals owned are neglected
?
11.6% are shot dead
?
11.5% die through choking or suffocation
?
9.3% die of poisoning
?
7% are beaten up
?
5.6% are tortured
?
2.4% are hunted or thrown away
?
2.3% are stabbed
?
2.2% are suffer from burning or drown
?
1.9% burn due to caustic substance
?
1.8% die from fighting



There are many things that you can do to help; you can adopt an animal instead of buying a puppy. You can report animal abuse if you see it, you could even donate to reliable charities. You can stop going to circuses, you could even become a vegetarian, and most the most important thing that you can do is not abuse your pets. Most people do not even know that any of this is happening. So how are you going to stop something that no one knows about? How is our country supposed to stop innocent animals from living a life filled with suffering and misery? We need stronger laws to prevent animal abuse and prosecute the owners. But people also need to understand why people abuse their animals. Lucky people are beginning to figure that out. But then there is the problem of people not wanting to hear about animal abuse because it makes them sad. They see advertisements on the TV about it, but instead of listening they just change the channel. Never the less suck it up and try to understand. Really no one can understand what those animals go through. So instead of trying let’s trying to stop it and stop it now! Because now can save thousands of animals.