Caileb
Newby, Chris Newlon, Jordan Edel, Jim, Cody McAdams
English 101-113
Mrs. Anthony
April 19,
2013
Support Animal Cruelty Awareness
Since the dawn of time animals have been considered
companions for humans. It is our responsibility as a society to raise awareness
to the neglect and cruelty that many animals endure. On a database called
Pet-Abuse.com, Animal Cruelty cases are logged and there are currently 19,265
cases listed. (Gianotto) That is out of control so help the cause today by
educating yourself on Animal Cruelty by wearing the purple animal cruelty
awareness ribbon, donating money through the proper local channels, or
volunteering your time at a local humane society because these animals are
helpless on their own.
To understand the cause you must first define what Animal
Cruelty is because what seems cruel to one person may not be cruel to another
based on their own personal interests and beliefs. According to the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , “While much progress has been made for
animals in our society, particularly during the past 50 years, the continuing
absence of a widely accepted definition of cruelty to animals remains an
enormous obstacle.” (Kilroy) To help fight Animal Cruelty the ASPCA was formed
and they defined it as, “Acts of violence or neglect perpetrated against
animals are considered animal cruelty.”(ASPCA.org) Furthermore, they divided
Animal Abuse into two categories; Intentional and Unintentional. Intentional
would be when someone purposely harms an animal causing injury or death, such
as the violent training and culling methods of large scale dog fighting
organization. Unintentional would be considered all forms of neglect including
failing to meet basic necessities of food, water, shelter, and appropriate veterinary
care. The ASPCA passed a law in 1866
that made dog fighting and all cruelty to animals illegal.(ASPCA.org)
Animal abuse has had a long and bloody history. In
ancient times, barbaric fights to the death were popular involving both humans
and animals alike. In the United States cockfighting and dogfighting go back to
the 1800’s. Cockfighting in the south was very popular and even became part of
the southern culture. The ASPCA outlawed
all forms of animal cruelty, but these blood sports are still occurring in
dangerous frequency. Underground dog fighting organizations have been unearthed
like the recent Michael Vick scandal. This only makes the fact that the problem
is not yet fixed more real. This incident occurred in 2007 involving Michael
Vick, a well-known professional football player. It gained mass media attention
because a well-known individual was involved. The ASPCAs’ investigation team got involved in
the case against Michael Vick. According to an article on the ASPCA website,
the Investigation concluded that Michael Vick and two other individuals were
involved in an underground dog fighting organization which caused him to serve
23 months in prison, 3 years of probation, and 1 million dollars into a fund
used to rehabilitate and care for the animals. He also was dropped from the
NFL. This is a good example of how the ASPCA gets involved to help end Animal Cruelty.
The biggest problem with animal abuse is that there is
not enough awareness and cases fail to be reported. According to the Humane Society’s’
website, “Most cases are never reported, and most animal suffering goes
unrecognized and unabated.”(Humanesociety.org) The whole purpose of the purple
ribbon is to help fight Animal Cruelty by creating awareness so that the
problem can be brought out of the shadows. There are many hotlines available
across the country where you can report suspected animal abuse to the proper
authorities. Without the help of caring individuals to support the cause the
problem will continue to go undiagnosed and only the animals will suffer. I am
asking you today to help out the animals and support the cause of Animal
Cruelty by wearing the ribbon, donating money, or volunteering in whichever
means you can.
Through organizations like ASPCA, The Humane Society, and
PETA the laws and views regarding animal abuse have made great strides. Through
gaining awareness and the support of volunteers the lives of countless animals
have been improved for the better. Now it is your turn to help by joining the
cause today.
Work Cited
"Animal Cruelty Facts and
Statistics." Humanesociety.org. N.p., 21 July 2011. Web. 22 Apr.
2013.
"Animal Cruelty
(Informational Paper)." Learningtogive.org. N.p., 13 Apr. 2008.
Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
"The ASPCA and the 2007
Investigation of Michael Vick." aspca.org. N.p., 4 Dec. 2012. Web.
22 Apr. 2013.
Kilroy, Walter. "Cruelty
Prevention: What is Animal Cruelty." mspca.org. ASPCA, 2012. Web.
22 Apr. 2013.
Gianotto, Alison. "Animal
Abuse Cases." Pet-Abuse.com. N.p., 9 Apr. 2013. Cruelty Database.
Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
