The Voiceless Masses Need Your Help

*Warning: This post contains graphic images.*
Some of the first words we learn as children are cat and dog. We are taught these words at the beginning of our verbal endeavors because they are short, easy to sound out, and simple to spell. They are also good to use because they can be attached to a concrete visual reference.

Cat =

Dog =

These are the pictures that most of us would associate with the ideas of cats and dogs. But, domesticated animals including, but not limited to, cats and dogs are abused every day. Most domestic animals simply want food and water, shelter, and a human to care for them. In return, our silent friends provide us with companionship and love.

*Graphic Images Appear In Next Paragraph*

So it pains me to see these images of a cat

and a dog.

These poor creatures are beaten, shot, abused, maltreated, neglected, starved, abandoned, and left to die. There have already been 535 cases of animal abuse filed in the United States this year (According to Pet-Abuse.com). That’s almost 4 cases per day, and that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface when you consider all of the animal abuse that never gets reported.

Why should you help these animals? Domesticated animals are our pets. So many of us grow up with cats, dogs, or other pets in our households, that actually become part of our family. They are cute, playful, comforting, “living art”, exercise buddies, stress-relievers, and excellent listeners. Animals never demand anything of you. They don’t ask for explanations and they never criticize. Studies have found that owning a cat or dog can help you maintain or improve your “Activities of Daily Living Score”, which basically assesses your ability to perform daily activities. Older adults who have pets are less likely to seek the help of a physician when its not needed and are also less likely to have a decline in their psychological health, especially if they don’t have much of a social support system in place. Plus animals can even lower blood pressure and cholesterol, helping to decrease the risk of a heart attack! (Read About More Benefits of Pet Ownership Here) But most of all you should help these animals because they can’t help themselves. Abusing an animal is almost as bad as abusing an infant because these creatures have no voice of their own.

Here are some things that you can do to both prevent animal cruelty and help abused animals.
1. Visit The ASPCA’s website and add your name to become one of the one million signatures to end animal cruelty.
2. Check out these tips on How to Prevent Animal Cruelty.
3. Recognize what constitutes an abused animal.
4. Help a neglected, chained dog.
5. Educate the owner of an abused animal. In non-confrontational way.
6. Volunteer at a local shelter. Dogs need to be walked, cats need human playmates, and cages/shelters need to be cleaned. This takes more man power than most shelters have. Plus, getting to know the animals helps the shelter provide more details information for potential owners. Is a dog ok with other dogs? Will this cat tolerate children? You get the picture.
7. Donate to the ASPCA or your local shelter. Abused and neglected animals all need food, shelter, and medical attention which costs money.
8. Help a local shelter start or maintain a website with up-to-date pictures of the animals available for adoption.
9. Put up posters with pictures of animals for adoption that include the location and hours of operation for the shelter. Most animal shelters are located outside of towns or developed areas for noise reasons, and may be difficult to locate for potential adopters.
10. Adopt an animal! There is no better way to help an abused animal than to bring it home with you and show it the love and compassion that it deserves.

More Info on How to Volunteer at a Shelter
More Tips for Helping Abused Animals