Animal Abuse
...w in most states. You only have to suspect an animal is being neglected or mistreated in order to report it to the humane society. Remember when you report animal abuse to the authorities you want to make sure you don’t alter the conditions that the animal is living in. It is tempting to give the neglected pet food and water, but when the agency shows up to look at the problem they need to see it in its original state. If you tamper with what is there it is difficult to determine the degree of neglect or abuse. It is sad to think that most violent criminals get their start by abusing companion animals. These animals have asked for nothing but husbandry, your love and respect, and your friendship. Studies of prison inmates reveal that as many as 75% of violent offenders had early records of animal cruelty. Abusive men frequently use pets to manipulate women’s emotions by beating, shooting, disemboweling, strangling, or drowning their pets if the women tries to leave. These abusers make women watch as they kill the animal, sometimes even forcing the women to have sex with a pet, saying, in effect “This is what I can do , there is nothing you can do to stop me. You may be next.” Chances are that if an animal is being abused and there is a child in that household then that child is also being abused. A child abusing an animal can grow up to be someone who commits other violent crimes. With all this overwhelming evidence isn’t it apparent that we need more strict punishment for animal abusers. Schools, parents, communities, and courts that shrug off animal abuse as a “minor” crime are ignoring a time bomb. Instead, communities should be aggressively penalizing animal abusers, examining families for other signs of violence, and requiring intensive counseling for perpetrators. Communities must recognize that abuse to any living individual is unacceptable and endangers everyone. I will never understand what goes through a persons mind before or while they are abusing an animal. It is ironic that we are the most evolved species on the planet yet we are the only species that abuses other species. A falcon does not abuse a mouse, he catches them for food. But everyday the animal shelters become littered with abused pets. These animals did not asked to be neglected or mistreated, we choose the...