Dear Next  President,

You should shut down puppy mills, dog fighting, and animal hoarding, and do more to prevent these types of animal cruelty. According to ASPCA, every sixty seconds an animal is abused. No creature should be treated cruelly. All types of animal abuse is unjust, and you need to do something to stop it.

Dogfighting is inhumane, dogs are treated terribly, and are often killed if they don’t win. Dogs start by being raised in isolation, spending most of their lives on chains. They are frequently conditioned for fighting by using drugs, often steroids to increase muscle mass and aggressiveness. Many dogs can have their ears cropped and tails docked, in other words cut off. Although dog fights are a felony in all 50 states, many do it secretly, ranging from back alleys to stages. Another type of animal abuse is puppy mills.

Puppy mills are cruel places, where dogs live their first eight weeks in large scale breeding facility. These dogs live in wire cages, which can often cause leg and paw problems. The cages are often stacked, which is dangerous for the safety of the puppies. According to ASPCA, the dogs also have inadequate veterinary care, water and food supplies. Most of the time the dogs have almost no social interaction with other dogs. Once the female dogs can’t breed anymore, they are often killed. Once the dogs go to pet shops, and then eventually into homes, they often suffer from anxiety and fear. Lastly, animal hoarding,  which is another type of animal cruelty.

Animal hoarding is inhumane, many animals are kept in terrible environments, frequently without proper care. Animal hoarding affects tens of thousands of animals nationwide according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund. This type of abuse is not always purposefully done, it can be related to mental health. Cats are most commonly hoarded, then dogs. Seventy- two percent of animal hoarders are women, while they’re much less men. Once the animals are taken from a property, the place is often condemned after. A single case of animal hoarding can frequently bankrupt a local humane society; law enforcement and taxpayers are often affected also.

Animal abuse is cruel, no matter what type. No animal, nor living thing deserves to be treated horribly for no reason. Something needs to be done about this issue, and it is up to you, the next president to put a stop to animal cruelty.  

 Thanks, Michaela V.