Ribbon Awareness Essay

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.