Dear Future President,

I would first like to congratulate you on the winning of the election, you have worked hard and made it far. I hope you do America proud. I would like to share with you my opinion on something that I am very passionate about, animal abuse. Even though it is illegal, it still takes place in all 50 states every day. I think that is unacceptable and ridiculous. Most domesticated pets thrive when cared for properly, but when an innocent animal is turned into an aggressive and terrified creature, its only option may be to defend itself. If an animal feels the need to lash out or attack to feel safe, just imagine how dangerous the animal could be if it was out in the community. Not only is an aggressive animal on the loose a threat to people, but also to pets, property, and wildlife. The entire community is at risk from this animal. Imagine a young, innocent child who has never been properly educated on what an abused or aggressive animal looks and acts like, one day wandering over to a stray “puppy” who is limping and covered in cuts and bumps. Little do they know that this dog is very aggressive and is an injured veteran of a dog fight. A child might go to pet this animal and get brutally mauled because they were never taught to stay away from animals like this. I believe that all schools across America should be required to add a mandatory unit that explains the consequences of animal abuse, how to recognise an abused animal, and what to do if you find one. “Statistics show that 30 percent of children who have witnessed domestic violence act out a similar type of violence against their pets.” (Johnston, pg. 1) If these children are never taught that this is an inappropriate way to act, the cycle will continue. Animal abuse affects everyone because abuse against animals leads to excusing abuse against humans. School age kids need to be educated on this so no one gets hurt or abuses an animal in the future. As president, you need to make sure that these laws are more strict than they already are, because this is a big deal. Spread the word about the dangers of animal abuse in schools around America.

If more people knew about how dangerous animal abuse can be, there would be a lot more effort put into the ending of this terrible activity. People are not taught about animal abuse nearly enough in school, and sometimes the subject is not touched at all. If you learn about how bad something is early on, chances are you will be less likely to do it later in your life. Studies have shown that the kinder people are to animals, the better citizens they will be. “Children trained to extend justice, kindness, and mercy to animals become more just, kind, and considerate in their relations to each other. Character training along these lines will result in men and women of broader sympathies; more humane, more law abiding, in every respect more valuable citizens.” (National PTA congress, pg. 1) Children raised to be aware of things such as animal cruelty happening in the world will be less likely to do it themselves. As we learned earlier, a large majority of the people abusing their animals have witnessed domestic violence, and if they are taught in school that hurting others is bad, they can spread the word and teach others, maybe even those within their own families. Knowledge is power. Furthermore, abused animals are far more aggressive than well treated animals or pets. Even typically feared breeds like pit bulls are sweethearts when treated well. However, sadly, a nine year old boy was killed by a pitbull that had been in a dogfight previously. The dog belonged to his neighbor and had already had a record of attacking a lab while on a walk. The dog had been in dog fights that police were aware of as well as a fight with a labrador retriever in the neighborhood prior to attacking and killing the boy. “County authorities confirmed the pit bull that killed a 9-year old boy was also involved in dog fight in the same neighborhood in July. Clark County Animal Control did not declare the pit bull dangerous or vicious after the attack. A neighbor was walking her labrador on July 11, when the pit bull, "Left Eye," attacked her dog, county spokesman Dan Kulin said. The pit bull's owner claimed the labrador initiated the fight. The labrador escaped serious injuries. In a statement released Friday, the county said, "the July incident was not serious enough to warrant a dangerous or vicious declaration.” (DogsBite.org, pg. 1) The boy was not prepared for this kind of behavior from a dog and was killed due to his lack of education about recognizing signs of aggressive animals. Additionally, the lack of accountability coming from the police is concerning, considering they knew that the dog was a previous fighter before the boy was attacked. When someone is not prepared for aggression coming from an animal or they don't understand the consequences of hurting an animal, they could hurt themselves or someone else. Teaching these vital lessons in school will help spread awareness and could even save lives.

If it became mandatory that schools include a unit on the abuse of animals and the horrible consequences that it can lead to, people would be better educated overall on the topic and it would ultimately result in a safer nation for people and animals alike. One of the targets from Global Goal number four; quality education is: “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and nonviolence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.” This connects because in order to work towards nonviolence and peace, we need to be able to trust that animals will not be raised to be aggressive or violent towards anyone. Kindness leads to kindness. This change will help to move along Global Goal four because this would be teaching kids about the risks of animal abuse. As well as properly educating them on it. I believe that this change should be a top priority of yours because to step forward in education, we need to include the safety and protection of our animals along with trusting that our youth understand the importance of kindness to all creatures. Thank you for your time and I hope that you take all of this into consideration during your term in the White House.

Sincerely

Kali Jarrard

Just because animals don't have a voice of their own does not mean that they shouldn't be heard through those who care!