Pets June 22, 2018
Animal cruelty is still an issue taking place everywhere.
Images of battered dogs and bleeding kittens are enough to make anyone feel saddened. From dog fighting to animal hoarding, these defenseless creatures are subjected to animal cruelty across America.
The ASPCA states that “dogfighting is a type of blood sport in which dogs are forced to fight for the entertainment and/or profit of spectators.” Dogfighting is torturous, and there are many injustices that happen outside of the fighting arena as well. The dogs live in anything but humane conditions. The owners do not treat them like living, breathing things, by tying them up to tiny metal chains that allow limited movement. These defenseless pups become further mutilated by being pumped with steroids that increase their chances of winning their fight.
Luckily, the United States considers the practice of dog fighting a felony in every state. The sad reality, however, is that it still happens. The ASPCA reports that dog fighting occurs in populations all over the country.
I can remember walking past a pet shop when I was young and wanting the tiny, sleeping puppy curled up against the window. I begged my parents to let us take the little animal home. Maybe it was for the best that we didn’t purchase a dog from a puppy store.
The two main places where puppy mills sell their dogs are pet stores and the internet. The Puppy Mill Project gives the striking fact that there are around 10,000 puppy mills in the United States, as of December 2016. The Humane Society reports that the USDA has made an effort to inspect and shut down inhumane kennels; however, the job is nowhere near complete.
The problem begins when breeders want to make as much money as they can in the least amount of time. It is almost as if these breeders are a part of a twisted get rich quick scheme. Owners force male and female dogs into cages with an insufficient amount of space in order to make puppies at a faster rate. This contributes to negative physical and emotional conditions, such as high levels of stress and anxiety. These puppy mills are actually dog breeding factories. They try to come up with every possible mixed breed. Furthermore, the ASPCA reports that puppy mills give female dogs little to no time to recover between litters.
The cliché of a crazy cat lady becomes all too real when people start to collect pets like baseball cards. The basics of the issue is that some households are taking in more animals than they can take care of. Like the issues stated above, animal hoarding affects every aspect of the animal.
The ASPCA provides signs that could point to an animal hoarding household. Two examples are if the owner doesn’t know exactly how many animals they have or if the house itself has visible signs of deterioration from the animals themselves. In addition to this, the ASPCA also reports that “a quarter of a million animals fall victim to hoarding.” As much as owners love and care for their furry friends, there can come a time when they have to decide whether they are doing more damage than aid.
The shining light in all of these injustices is that there are ways to help fight animal cruelty. The ASPCA happily accepts donations, and you can find out more on their website.
