Dear future President,

Animal Cruelty should be taken more seriously. The ASPCA was the first humane society established in North America. A quote from Matthew Bershadker the president and CEO of the ASPCA, “Our focus is to get pets out of shelters and keep them in homes, while increasing the protections of animals under the law. We are helping to shape a society that continuously improves the lives of animals.” The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is an organization that helps animals in need. The ASPCA saves animals from dog fighting, puppy mills, hoarding, and other cruelty related situations.

According to the ASPCA There are 10000 cases of puppy mills in the US currently. Puppy mills are large-scale dog breeding facility where profit is given priority over the well being of the dogs. The age when a puppy from a mill could be marketed is 8 weeks. They sell the dogs to either pet shops or online. Puppy mills are not illegal but hold a very bad environment for the dogs. It is really dirty and too crowded for the animals. The female dogs have little to no time to recover before they are pregnant again. Once the dogs are too old to breed they are often killed instead of adopted.

Animal hoarding is when people have more animals than they are allowed in one home. They often can't afford to feed or offer veterinary care to the animals. Animal hoarders believe that they are helping these animals because they think that their home is safer than the shelters. Normally it is hard to prosecute these hoarders because they have an emotional attachment to the animals and have no intention of harming. Sadly animals in a hoarding situation die of starvation and sickness due to poor conditions and overcrowding.

Dog fighting is one of the worst forms of animal cruelty. They live in isolation and usually live very short lives on a very short leash. Dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states and yet it continues to happen in all types of communities. These dogs are not only injured during the fights but are given steroids to make them stronger and have their tail and ears cropped to limit the body language of the animal. Dog fighting is usually associated with other types of crimes like possession of drugs, firearms and illegal gambling. People look at it as entertainment and/or profit of spectators. The fights are not always to the death but many of them die from their injuries or losing dogs are executed as part of the sport.

ASPCA is a non-profit organization that you can help support. Instead of buying from breeders you can adopt animals that have been abandoned or rescued. The ASPCA has spent over 150 years helping to stop the abuse and neglect if animals and you can help too.

From,

Emily W.