October 7, 2016

Dear next President,

      One of my favorite things that I enjoy in life is animals, especially dogs of all kinds. I am lucky enough to have my own dog, Immy, and she is very dear to my heart. I feel a strong connection with all animals and care for all of them. What breaks my heart is to know that so many of them are abused and neglected today by their owners. Yes, there have been more laws established that address animal abuse, but to me, it’s not enough. The animal abuse laws need to be further enforced and the penalties need to become more severe. These countless, silent victims should be helped and I will tell you exactly why.

      Animal abuse has haunted America for many years, yet it has improved over time. The laws set in place, in my opinion, are lacking much of what is really needed to help continue the improvement rate. Animals should not be purposely hurt or deprived in any way; that’s not their purpose. The many breeds of domesticated animals we have in the United States are here to provide emotional support, companionship and various types of service to their owners. They should be cherished and should never to be shot, kicked, beaten or starved. In addition, the numbers of animal cruelty cases will break your heart.

      Even with the new laws on animal cruelty, the problem still exists in a very big way. According to the article “Animal Abuse is a People Problem” on rescueink.org, 10,000 dogs actually die every year in illegal dog fighting alone. And that is just one category of extreme cruelty, which means this is just the beginning of the sad story. Also, 70% of all animal abusers have a criminal history. It scares me to see pets be stuck with these criminals and then to see the patterns of abuse that follows. In the article “11 Facts About Animal Cruelty” on DoSomething.org, over 250,000 animals each year are hoarded by their owners. Imagine the conditions these animals are forced to live in. Also, over 50% of the fur in America is from China where millions of dogs and cats are bled to death or skinned alive for their fur. In addition, the fur that comes from China is likely to be mislabeled so you don’t know what you are actually wearing. Also, the animal abuse problem we have today isn’t the only problem. There is another issue that has a strong connection with animal cruelty.

      If you don’t care very much about subject of animal cruelty, then there is something else you should consider. In the article “Strike a pet, strike a person”, Bruce Epstein of the St. Petersburg Times wrote that there is a link between animal cruelty and violence on people, especially children and spouses. The Society of the Prevention to Animals made a study that found out that nearly 3 in 10 animal abusers hurt people, too. Also, in 88% of families where there had been violence and abuse, there was also animal abuse reported. That means if you can stop animal abuse, you can possibly help with two problems at once.

      Hopefully, you see the point of why animal abuse is such an intolerable act. Now, I would like to address the solution to this problem. I would like you, the next President, to make the current laws regarding animal cruelty stricter than today. There have been a growing number of laws over the years, but I don’t think they are working well enough as they are. I think there should be a way to make those laws be even more enforced. One of the ways to make this happen should be to make the penalties of animal cruelty higher. You should raise the fines and make the possibility of going to jail for animal abuse higher, too. Hopefully, you consider this problem we have in America as a priority and good luck on your presidency.

Best Wishes,

Carter