Animal abuse is a violation of the rights of animals. Animals deserve the rights to be treated well regardless of their use to humans if they are an endangered species if they are “endearing” or regardless of the fact that one cares about them (Yount 25). Human beings should recognize that animals are not just for clothing, experimentation, clothing or food. Animal abuse is a form of infringement of the rights of animals. There are reasons for and animal abuse in our society, to prevent the abuse society should be educated and various restrictions or penalties imposed to prevent animal abuse.
Animal abuse
Animal abuse includes the intentional harming or hurting of an animal. It also refers to situations whereby a person fails to properly look after an animal that is under their care properly. Cats and dogs seem to be the animals which are usually most abused. The most common types of animal abuse include shooting, mutilation, stabbing, vehicular, neglect, hoarding, beating, burning, throwing, and fighting. It is important for one to report any abuse of animals to any animal control officer, one can even leave information anonymously. Animal abuse affects everybody because anyone who can abuse an animal means that they can also harm people. The common signs of animal abuse include untreated wounds, dogs which are kept chained the whole day without any food or water, food or shelter and animals which have wounds that are not treated.
There are various reasons which people use to justify why they abuse animals.
a. One of the reasons is that animals are not intelligent enough.
This is not a good line of reason because intelligence should not be used as a prerequisite for an animal to feel pain. People who think in this manner want to justify their abuse of animals because they consider them to be “dumb.” If one is to use this line of thinking, one should as well use it on the mentally disabled and infants. It is unethical to judge the pain of animals based on their “intelligence.”
b. Perpetrators of animal abuse sometimes use the excuse that one should never value animals because they are not equal to humans and one should, therefore, care more about people.
It is the biggest argument that people who support animal abuse or are cruel to animals or rationalize animal abuse use. It is very hard to fathom how being opposed to animal abuse is putting them on the same level as a human which is not a bad thing in the first place. In fact, it shows that one has empathy towards animals when they are suffering. Also criticizing animal abuse shows that one is sympathetic towards the plight of animals. It is the same reaction that one shows to a human being who is in pain. For some unknown reason, it is as if caring about humans and non-human animals are mutually exclusive.
c. Another reason that animal abusers use is that there are more important things that one can do instead of concerning oneself with the plight of animals.
Such a distinction should not be used considering they are living, breathing organisms. It is sad to see that people do not care about important issues, so they try to make some issues seem as insignificant as possible. This type of reasoning should not be accepted as it assumes that people who are fighting for the rights of animals do not care about anything else. It is possible to care about more than one thing
d. One should not care because “it is just vermin/pest/ dog.”
It is the most common excuse which people who abuse animals use to rid themselves of guilt. People always try not to harm other human beings, but when it comes to animals, they do not show the same restraint. What animal abusers seem to ignore is that animals have the same capability of feeling distressed and in pain just as human beings do. There is no use of harming an animal just because one does not like how it looks like or they consider certain types of animals as inferior. The main issue should be cruelty and not how an animal looks like.
e. All animals are going to die even human beings.
Death should not be the main consideration how a person dies matters, therefore, how animals die should also matter. Animal abusers should understand the fact that animals too feel pain even when they are dying. The amount of pain felt before death does not matter. Human beings feel pain when dying and so do animals.
f. Human beings consider themselves to be at the top of the food chain. Therefore, they can do whatever they please because they are the superior race.
It is usually the most common reason that people give to justify animal abuse. Shockingly, it is the most valid reason because most of the time we choose what to do with other living organisms (plants and animals). However, it is not a justifiable reason if it involves violation of moral codes, breaking the law, logic, and reason. Our superiority in the food chain depends on the attribute that one focuses on. If human beings term themselves as self-proclaimed masters, they should bear the responsibility that is attached to that title. One of the responsibilities is to take care of the species that we term as being “below us.” If people abuse misuse or abuse them, then they are not fit to be “masters” if it involves destroying them.
g. Animal abuse is illegal
Animal abuse can either be the failure to look after an animal or deliberate abuse of an animal. Either way, it does not matter if the animal is a farm animal, pet or wildlife the fact of the matter is that it can undergo immense suffering. Each year, there are tens of animal abuse cases which are reported. Animal abuse is cruel, and it negatively impacts society. South Dakota was the last state to implement penalties for animal abuse. Therefore, animal abuse is a felony in the whole of the United States.
The reason why animal abuse is frowned upon is that there is a high probability that it can manifest into human abuse (Degue, Sarah & David 1038). In itself, animal suffering is secondary to some people. The understanding that we have of suffering and pain means we are putting more emphasis on the animal and it should be so. They are not non-living organisms. Therefore, we should show them love, care, and most importantly respect.
Until just recently, federal and state agencies did not consistently track animal abuse which made it difficult to estimate the number of cases involving animal abuse. Specific laws on animal abuse may be different depending on the state, but generally, it is an offense to withhold water, veterinary care, shelter, food or a safe and cleaning environment for an animal that is under one’s care. All of these are forms of animal abuse or specifically neglect. Finally, animal hoarding has gained the attention of media outlets and television shows. Animal hoarding is a situation whereby the owner has very many pets and cannot take care of them properly. The pet owner, most of the time, has good intentions but these cases can become animal abuse and organizations that take care of animals may have to intervene to take in the animals for their well-being.
Animal Abuse statistical information in the United States of America.
i. Any animal may be going through or is a victim of abuse. Pit bulls, however, are a breed of dogs that are the most common type of animals to be abused. Dogfighting involves pit bulls most of the time, and it is an activity that is illegal in the United States of America.
ii. The Humane Society of the United States provided information that showed that in the late 1ate 1990’s that approximately 70% of victims of domestic abuse also reported that their spouses also hurt their family pet (s). It is an indication that domestic abusers may also harm animals and not only humans.
iii. At present, all the 50 states in America consider animal abuse as a type of felony. A felony is a crime that is considered as serious and may lead one to be jailed for a year or more. Burglary and arson are some of the felony examples.
iv. Since 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been keeping a close eye and tracking animal abuse using the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). It is the same system that the United States uses to track homicides.
There have been allegations of animals being mistreated on movie sets. When footage surfaced of a distressed dog being forced into a tank of water on the set of the movie called A Dog’s Purpose, there was a huge reaction of disapproval. The original premiere date of the movie had to be canceled due to the huge backlash that came up. Some animal rights groups even called for the entire movie to be canceled unless a part of the proceeds were donated to organizations dealing with animal welfare. The author of the book Bruce Cameron who also co-wrote the screen play disapproved the footage saying it mischaracterized what happened. He stated “The dog was neither thrown into the water nor terrified. The dog hesitated to do a stunt from a different side of the pool because that was not the side it had been performing the stunt from all day. The location was the issue and not the dog because the dog happily performed the stunt when it was allowed to do so in its original position” ("Independent Investigative Report On “A Dog’s Purpose” Finds Edited Video Mischaracterized What Happened On The Set").
Even though he further added that there was a trainer and scuba driver present as protective measures, the representative from American Human suspended its representative who oversaw the filming of A Dog’s Purpose. American Human is a group that oversees animal safety on television films and projects it took a further step of hiring an independent investigator to look into the incident.
Instances of not taking into consideration the rights of animals by airlines have also come up repeatedly. A dog died on a United Airlines flight after an attendant forced it into the overhead bin. After the flight had taken off, an attendant insisted that the dog should be placed overhead in a bin for the rest of the flight. This was despite the fact that the owner of the dog had placed the dog in a pet carrier that was TSA-approved. A spokesperson for United Airlines spoke about the incident by releasing a statement which read “The tragic incident should not have happened in the first place because pets should never be placed in an overhead bin. We assume all responsibility for the tragic occurrence, and we pass our condolences to the family, and we will support them in any way that we can. The matter is under investigation to prevent such an occurrence ever again” (Gollayan). According to United Airlines website, the policy for pets onboard is that they should always be in a soft-sided or hard-sided kennel that is approved. The kennel must also fully fit in front of the customer’s seat and stay there during the whole flight.
In the United States, the Humane Society ensures in all States that animal cruelty of all forms is reported, engage citizens in the participation of protection of wild animals, and to support all legislation that supports animal welfare. The main federal law in the United States which relates to animal conditions and care is the Animal welfare Act. It is the only law in the United States that regulates how animals are treated during research, transport, and exhibition by dealers. Other guidelines, policies, and laws may include additional specifications for animal use and care and species coverage. The policies and guidelines however always refer to the Animal Welfare Act as the minimum standard.
Many organizations dedicate themselves to protect animal rights because the grim reality is that animals are exploited and face abuse every day. It is a delicate issue and most of the time animal abuse is not usually given the news coverage that it deserves. Many other charitable organizations aim to improve the living conditions of animals, and some of them include:
1. San Diego Humane Society
2. 1. Best Friends Animal Society
3. Dumb Friends League
4. San Francisco SPCA and lastly
5. PetSmart Charities
The (HSUS) Humane Society of the United States operates 24-hour hotlines through which one can report animal abuse. The hotlines do not require one to leave any contact information or even their name. The HSUS is dedicated to investigating any report of animal abuse with determination. One can also report abuse through their website by sending an email by indicating the location, details, and timing of the abuse.
Lastly, it is right to point out that a person who kills an animal is a reflection of their character. A reasonable person would not kill a rat by skinning it alive just because it ate food from their pantry. Most people would not want such a person near them or their family. Everyone is capable of doing bad things, but people who have done bad things on animals are most likely to continue.
Works Cited
DeGue, Sarah, and David DiLillo. "Is animal cruelty a “red flag” for family violence? Investigating co-occurring violence toward children, partners, and pets." Journal of Interpersonal Violence 24.6 (2009): 1036-1056.
Flynn, Clifton P. Understanding animal abuse: A sociological analysis. Lantern Books, 2012.
Gollayan, Christian. Nypost.Com, 2018, https://nypost.com/2018/03/13/dog-dies-after-united-flight-attendant-forces-it-into-overhead-bin/. Accessed 10 Apr 2018.
Gullone, Eleonora. Conceptualising Animal Abuse With An Antisocial Behaviour Framework. 2011. Accessed 10 Apr 2018.
"Independent Investigative Report On “A Dog’S Purpose” Finds Edited Video Mischaracterized What Happened On The Set". Americanhumane.Org, 2017, https://www.americanhumane.org/press-release/independent-investigative-report-on-a-dogs-purpose-finds-edited-video-mischaracterized-what-happened-on-the-set/. Accessed 10 Apr 2018.
Yount, Lisa. Animal rights. Infobase Publishing, 2007.
