Dear Next President:

Imagine leading a life full of unknowns, where danger is always lurking behind you. Constantly, your surroundings are changing. You’re bounced around from place to place, because you are unwanted. The only thing you have to look forward too is your meals, which are rare. You yearn for a loving home, a constant place to come home to; this is the life shelter animals live.

I understand that this issue may not be on the top of your list, but I would like you to be aware of it. You may or may not know how many animals suffer while in shelters, the number is about 7.6 million every year. About 2.7 million of those animals are euthanized, since there are not enough helping hands or homes for the animals in need. Those numbers are way too high. Stricter laws should be passed, that limit and put an end to animal abuse. Some people believe that since they are “just animals” it doesn’t matter. This is not the case, if people knew how it felt to be in the animals shoes, they would understand.

As you may know, there are pre-existing laws with punishments for animal cruelty, they vary by state. Since I live in the state of Ohio, I will refresh you on their law. According to the Animal Cruelty Laws by State, Ohio’s law is as follows, “Cruelty to companion animals is defined as: ‘knowingly torture, torment, needlessly mutilate or maim, cruelly beat, poison, needlessly kill, or commit an act of cruelty against a companion animal.’ The first offense is a 1st degree Misdemeanor with a fine up to $1000 and/or imprisonment up to 90 days.” Although this law is present, it is not utilized enough. If this law was commonly known and implemented more, it would start to put an end to animal abuse. With more people following this law, there won't be as much as a need for the volunteers in animal shelters, since there won’t be as many homeless animals. Then, the volunteers will have time to help more causes, creating a smaller amount of issues overall.

The common household pets are not the only animals being abused, horses and livestock face the same dangers of abuse as well. Animals are being poached, killed or used for work that they shouldn’t be doing. Actually about 22% of animal cruelty cases involve animals other than cats and dogs. If we were to advertise that this law is present, there would be less animal abuse cases overall. Instead of leaving the animals out on the street, abusing them, or purposely mistreating them, people will think twice and treat the animal with respect. I know this may not be an immediate fix, but it’s a start.

There are approximately 1,920 animal abuse cases a year. With your help, we can decrease this number to 0. I know that this is a big jump, but it is possible. Together, we can come up with creative plans to cease animal abuse. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Caroline