Dear Mister or Madame President

They have been known as man’s best friend, but are we treating them as well as they’re treating us? This problem is growing faster, and only one person that has control of it all. You. Animal Abuse is a growing problem that needs to be stopped. The ASPCA and other shelters are doing as much as they can, but shelters are quite full, with a whopping total of 1.1 million animals in shelters nationwide (ASPCA)!

Animal Abuse isn’t just what you think it is; there are two main kinds of animal abuse. The first kind is Active Abuse, which includes any sort of physical contact, and this is the first kind of that normally comes to someone’s mind. The second kind is Passive Abuse, which includes neglect, starvation, and abandoning pets on the street, or in an abandoned home (“waff”). Trust me, these are all common cases.

The most common victims of this cruel practice are dogs, mostly pitbulls. 10,000 pitbulls die in dog fighting rings each year (“waff”). That means that about 27 pit bulls die each day! 18% of abuse is on cats, and 25% is on other animals. That means that 57% of animals abused are dogs (“waff”)! Even though many different types of dogs can be abused through dog fighting, pit bulls are the most common contenders. A sign of abuse through dog fighting is when a dog is covered in scratches, cuts, or scars, and is skinny and neglected. These fights can last from a minute to hours, and dogs sometimes have their ears and tails clipped for these battles so that the opposing dogs don’t rip them off. (ASPCA)

Puppy Mills are like prisons for innocent dogs. These cases classified as active abuse and as passive abuse. They are normally undercover organizations that force mother dogs to breed over and over again in unsanitary conditions. Puppies can end up with horrible medical and physical deformities, and, even if there is something wrong, they are sold to pet stores where people buy them, and promote puppy mills to keep breeding. When mothers can’t breed anymore, they are abandoned on the streets. (ASPCA)

Animal Hoarding is a horrid way to raise animals, and is considered passive abuse. This is normally when people own too many animals, and claim that their animals are healthy and well, when they are obviously not. Other signs of this are when their home environment is in horrible disorder, and the animals are in dire need of medical care.

My dog, Mabel, was a victim of animal abuse. Her old owners left her stranded in a yard on burning hot concrete. Her collar was so small that it created a large cyst on her neck. She had scratches on her legs, calluses on her tail, and, worst of all, she weighed 36 pounds. The ASPCA rescued, and named her Grace because even though she had been starved, she was still very poised. A friend’s mom fostered her for almost a month before we adopted Mabel. My life would be very different without her.

I hope that you learned what needs to be done about animal abuse. First, put stricter laws in place than the ones that we have now. In Pennsylvania, you only have to pay $50 - $700 and go to jail for 90 days for first degree animal abuse (“laying”)! Three months in jail? I would make it five! Teach the public about animal abuse, and what is happening to these poor, helpless animals. Not many people know, and they don’t want to know because they claim it’s “sad” and “horrifying.” To me, being a vet is more horrifying than animal abuse, and I wish I could help out at a shelter. But, most of all, always remember the animals that have gone before our pets today. The lonely, sad animals, that were never heard.