Animal Cruelty

5 Pages 1191 Words

Animal Cruelty
Having a household pet can be both rewarding and inspiring. Because household pets are domesticated, they depend on their owner to provide a safe haven for them. When one decides to have a household pet, a great deal of responsibility needs to be taken to provide food, water, shelter and medical attention for the animal. Pets are voiceless and defenseless. They share the world with us, and it is our responsibility to care for the them. Regrettably, some animals become victim to human violence and abuse. Cruelty or abuse is when a person knowingly or intentionally deprives an animal of food, water or medical care, and maliciously tortures, mutilates, or kills the animal [HSUS 1]. Greater awareness is needed in order to help prevent the unnecessary abuse of animals.
The majority of the American household family has at least one pet. Under normal circumstances, these loyal and loving animals are often treated as a member of the family. On the flip side, if the pet lives within a violent household like domestic abuse and drug and alcohol abuse, chances are that the animal too has become victim to human abuse. Animals that are living in this type of violent environment are in great danger because they are powerless. Situations like this often go unreported because animals cannot speak up for themselves. According to Dr. John New, "Each year four million women are abused by a husband or boyfriend. Approximately half of those women have animals, (and) half of those with animals say that the animals are abused or killed” [Covington].
Recently, a great awareness has surfaced between the link of domestic human violence and animal cruelty. The Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) is one of the largest organizations fighting for the humane treatment of animals and raising awareness in defense of animals that are victims of domestic abuse. Every year, the HSUS releases a report of animal cruelty cases. The most recent ...