"They're just animals!"

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone claim that the reason they don't care much about animal cruelty and abuse is because "they're just animals", I would be making Bill Gates get in line at a soup kitchen.

With a war raging in the middle east, and an economy that fluctuates daily, I can see where people prioritize their concerns. This is not to attack them, because they have every right to be concerned for their well-being, as well as their family's. However, this does not excuse them for shutting their eyes to the cruelty that occurs within their own cities and towns, anywhere around them. While I could expand the point of this blog to include all species of animals, I figured it's much easier to attract attention from those who can relate to the blog, therefore am choosing to focus on domesticated animals/farm animals. Believe it or not, these guys face some of the worst cruelty out there. Yes, the family pet can be abused, and yes, the family pet is often neglected in animal abuse cases.
This blog is admittedly in no organizational order, but nonetheless anything written is of importance.

Before I get to the rest of the blog, here are some statistics and research findings I have found around the internet to let you chew on (and note, they may be hard to swallow):
+Between 2 and 4 million puppies are bred each year in puppy mills and sent to stores, which account for over 80% of the AKC's business. A known pet store who uses puppy mills for their source of puppies is Petland. Other stores include Puppy Paradise and Noah's Ark Pet Center.
+In 2007, pit bulls accounted for 25% of animal abuse cases.
+ About 64.5% of animal abuse cases involve dogs.
+Most people tried in animal abuse cases have other criminal offenses on their records.
+ Psychologists have found that a lot of serial killers have a past of abusing, torturing and killing animals. Along with that, there have been some correlation studies found between domestic abuse cases and animal abuse cases.

You might have read those and thought, "Okay, that sucks, but why should I care? Dogs and cats die all the time."
Yes, they do; usually because someone has let them die. And I welcome you to put aside doubts for a minute or two and think about your own pet, if you own one, or one that someone else has that you thoroughly enjoy being around. Would you like it if this was happening to them? Of course not. Now, I'm not claiming that those who ignore these things necessarily want animals to be neglected. I take it as an implication that they're simply not informed enough to want to take action, or think any action they take will be useless. I assure you, friends, this is not the case.
Anyone who has watched Animal Planet knows of shows like Animal Cops in various cities, and the new show, Pit bulls and Parolees. These shows depict the real life issue of animal abuse and neglect, and the task of placing these animals into new homes, despite their troubled pasts.
I cannot tell you how utterly angry it makes me when I see shivering, sickly dogs chained up in the backyard, skinny from not being fed and their water being disgustingly dirty, or cats with burned limbs because someone thought it would be funny to light a match and see what the cat would do. It makes me so angry because it seems like no matter the consequences these people receive, people continue to hurt and torture animals for "fun" or because they simply don't care. I'm angered because to me, this is just as bad as neglecting a human. I will not get into the issue of placing humans before animals, because it is my personal choice to balance them, and I will not sit here trying to force people to think the same about that.

When I see that someone has hurt an animal, they are no better in my eyes than a murderer, rapist, or serial killer. When I see that they get fines and community service hours and no jail time, it becomes even more disheartening. When Michael Vick got off basically scott free for his disgusting dog fighting, I was enraged. To me, this is not proper punishment for those who decide to treat other living things so cruelly.
I am not a supporter of the circus (Sorry, Ringling Bros fans, this is for you), because it has been proven in many publicly known cases and videos that their animals endure abuse daily. Next time you're on YouTube, look up Ringling Beats Animals to see it first hand (The video is by PETA, who by the way I do NOT support, but the video is very scary). I also do not support dog racing, horse racing, dog fighting, or any sport that damages the well being of animals for the benefit of human entertainment.

By volunteering at the humane society, I have been privileged enough to work with dogs who have come from bad situations. Dana, a spunky young pit bull, was left in a pantry by her owners to starve and die. After meeting with Dana and having a chance to play and socialize with her, I couldn't understand why anyone would want to hurt such a playful thing. Then again, I can't understand why anyone would want to hurt any animal at all. Some of the dogs there have been there for years, not being able to really find a place where they'll fit in. Being a no kill shelter, their stays are unlimited, but even so, the fact that they have been there for so long is rather sad.
When we take on the responsibility of having a companion animal, we are implying that they will be well cared for for as long as our situation permits. And if ever our situation does not permit proper care of an animal (losing your home, moving somewhere that doesn't allow dogs, allergies, ect), it should be out duty to make sure that the animal is going somewhere where it will continue to be cared for. All too often are cats and dogs and other pets just left in abandoned houses because people couldn't take them with, or simply didn't care to. This is neglectful and very shameful. Humane societies and shelters exist for a reason, and would much rather someone admit they could not care for a dog than to stumble on the property later on and find it in the basement. When you do something in the best interest of the animal, you are showing good character. Good character builds good people in the future, something that is taught from a young age.

I do not expect people who read this to go out and donate their life savings to shelters or go out on a street corner with a sign that says "STOP PUPPY MILLS!" That's not realistic, and humans don't work that way. What I do hope it does is open minds and encourage, even just a little bit, more effort into looking for ways to help out. A few dollars isn't much, and at least voicing your support will encourage others to follow suit. When people around us don't care, we start to not care. But if we care and we make it known, the people around us may start to change as well.
Animals can do amazing things for humans, if they're given the chance. Dogs (and cats, too!) have been used in rehabilitation programs at hospitals, where patient morale and illness recovery rates improve quite a bit because of the programs. There are also studies to show that animal interaction can improve blood pressure, stress levels, and depression. Anyone who has a pet can probably attest to the fact that their animals have personalities of their own. Animals are not stupid, and never have been; they have feelings, emotions, personality, wit, intelligence...they communicate with us, even though they cannot speak our language. And if you can't look into the eyes of a neglected animal and see that they are asking you for help, I encourage you to expose yourself to more of these situations, for I know the ability to see it is there. You just have to open your mind to it.