Animal cruelty is something that is close to many people's
hearts. Many think of it as an abuse that is akin to child
abuse, since animals are also defenseless against the hands
or neglect of humans.
It tends to rouse similar anger and outrage as well, and
there are now many agencies that are set up to help prevent
animal cruelty, and also shelters where rescued animals
find solace and comfort from their abusive or neglectful
environments.
Years ago, there were not even any laws set up to protect
animals from abuse, and abusers were able to get away with
doing just about anything they wanted without consequence.
Now, there are animal protection laws set up in almost
every state, and if you are found guilty of inhumane
treatment of an animal, you are subject to anything from
fines to community service, to jail time.
While we've come a long way in legislating animal
protection laws, there is still room for improvement, as
they are not stiff enough penalties in most people's eyes,
and it seems that it's still taken rather lightly.
While I'm not aligned with the extreme mentality of animal
rights groups that preach vegetarianism and use tactics
that I don't deem appropriate to get their point across, I
certainly admire what they are trying to do, which is
drawing attention to the animal kingdom and getting the
word out that our furry friends need our help when they do
not have a voice of their own to defend themselves.
One can read about stories of inhumane treatment weekly in
any newspaper, and some of the stories are enough to make
one nauseous. There are stories of animals left in homes
without food or water, in their own waste and crawling with
fleas and ticks, stories of farm animals abandoned,
neglected, underfed and abused, and horrifying tales of
household pets being beaten, starved, deprived of care, and
even killed at the hands of the very people who are
supposed to take care of them, that all still need to be
addressed.
There are some steps you can take to make sure you are not
a silent voice in the quest to prevent animal cruelty, you
just need to be aware of your surroundings and know what to
look for.
You can report any suspicions to the local police, or if
you have an agency that works with abused animals, you can
call on them to investigate and rectify also, usually the
APL (Animal Protective League) and other similar shelters
and animal rights nonprofit organizations will be able to
help as well.
Some of the signs to look for you may already know, as most
people who are animal lovers have a built in instinct for
knowing when an animal has been abused or neglected. Many
animals who have been physically abused will be hand shy.
They will not want to come near you or any other person,
and may be especially leery of their owners or react in an
aggressive way toward them or others.
While this does not always indicate abuse, as some animals
are just tempered that way, it is a good underlying factor
to look at when determining if an animal has been
physically abused.
If an animal has patches of fur missing or looks extremely
thin, or even if they are overrun with fleas, this may
indicate neglect. Another one to look for is animals that
you see outside on extremely cold days, tied to a chain for
hours without any warm shelter. This is dangerous and can
be abuse if the animal does not have a place of shelter to
retreat to.
Likewise if they are left chained outside for hours without
food or water - water of course being the most vital of the
two. Use your judgment, there are always animals that may
be acclimated to certain situations, but if you
consistently see this, and are suspicious it may be worth
an investigation by an officer of an animal protection
agency or the police department.
Of course the most obvious thing to look out for is
actually witnessing an act of animal abuse. If you see a
person physically assaulting an animal, please make sure
you report this immediately, as this is the most blatant
and obvious form of animal abuse and certainly warrants a
report for investigation.
If we all do our part in preventing animal cruelty, we can
make this world a better and safer place for our furry
friends who entrust us with their life and well being. If
we don't look out for them, who will?
----------------------------------------------------
Danna Schneider owns several websites associated with
natural health and holistic, spiritually satisfying and
healthy living http://www.herbalnewsmagazine.com . She also
contributes to and owns http://www.herbal-therapeutics.com
where one can find herbal remedies and natural supplements
as well as herbal medicines for just about anything you
need to make your life better and healthier.
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