Dear Future President,

I am a 9th grade student from Saline, Michigan. I believe that animal abuse is a problem in the U.S. that should be addressed. Many pets are loved and treated with the respect they deserve, but there are other families that terribly mistreat their animals. According to arconference.org, the definition of an animal right is an idea that some non-human animals are entitled to the possession of their lives. Also an animal abuse article from letters2president.org says that 70.1% of abused animals are dogs, 20.9% are cats, and 24.1% are other animals.

I was first introduced to animal abuse issues when I was seven years old. I was walking around a neighborhood with my cousin, and a whimpering dog appeared out of knowhere. The dog had been hit by it's owner. When we first found the dogs owner, the owner seemed really ashamed that the dog had gotten out of the yard. Although there are laws against animal abuse, these problems continue to happen. According to humanesociety.org if an animal is a pet, farm animal, or part of wildlife, they can still suffer from cruelty from their owners.

According to humanesociety.org, "Animal cruelty can be either deliberate abuse, or the failure to take care of an animal. Either way, don't despair, anyone can take steps against cruelty." I believe that the statement refers to the fact that animals can be abused because of the fact that their owners don't take the initiative to properly take care of them. Either way, the problem needs to be addressed throughout the country.

I believe that when we harm animals, it can make things worse for us humans. When we treat our pets with such aggression and hatred, they are bound to retaliate with just as much anger. I've noticed that many pets, especially dogs, have been put to sleep because of their aggressive behavior. Normally, the only question the police ask when they arrive is, "Where's the dangerous aggressive dog that attacked someone?" They don't question the situation. What if the owner provoked the dog? What if the dog was viciously beaten, and had to attack the owner before it got seriously hurt? Many people get away with animal abuse all the time, but I know a solution. I believe that if we are going to put a stop to animal cruelty, then we need to make the punishments for breaking the animal rights law more severe. If we can achieve this, then we can get people to understand how important animal rights are.

Finally, I believe that animal abuse is wrong and inhumane. Over the years, animal cruelty has gotten out of control. Pet owners abandon their once-loved pets, abuse them, mistreat them by not providing adequate care, including food, water, and shelter . To conclude, I would like to mention a few quotes about animal rights from quotegarden.com, Rue McClanahan said, "Cruelty fashion is one statement we can all do without." Another one by Albert Schweitzer says, "Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight." Future president, I hope you make the right choices for our country, but I also hope you hear the plea from every abused animal, big and small, I hope you hear their plea for help.

Sincerely,

Caleb Ilayan