Help Stop Animal Abuse

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Be a Hero. Know how help an animal in need.

April is Prevention of the Cruelty to Animals Month.[1]  The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) created this holiday to encourage people to take time to learn how to help prevent animal abuse and neglect.  Read on for the basics you need to know about animal abuse.

Animal cruelty is the crime of “inflicting physical pain, suffering, or death on an animal, usually a tame one, beyond necessity for normal discipline”.[2] Animal abuse can happen because someone doesn’t feel empathy for animals and/or otherwise doesn’t understand that animals can feel physical and psychological pain.[2,3]

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If you suspect animal abuse, there are simple steps you can take to help.

Reported cases of cruelty are most often cases where dogs, cats, horses, and livestock, such as cows, pigs, or chickens, are abused.[3]  For example, undercover investigations have revealed that animal cruelty is common in the factory farm industry. But because cruelty laws are weak and enforcement is underfunded, only a small number of cases are reported, and few are ever prosecuted.[3]

Many cases of animal abuse involve passive cruelty or neglect.[2,3] According to Deborah Knaan, J.D., Executive Director, Benchmark Animal Rehabilitative Curriculum (BARC) [4], passive animal abuse includes:

 

    • People whose animals are severely neglected or forced to live in dirty or dangerous conditions;
    • Animals that are left alone or left outside without adequate shelter;
    • People who don’t take their animal for medical care when the animal is sick or injured;
    • People who don’t provide their animals with enough food; 
    • People who leave their animals in hot vehicles;
    • People who force dogs or other animals to fight; and
    • “Hoarding,” where a person takes in more animals than they can properly care for.

If you believe that someone may be neglecting their pet, help steer them to training to educate them about animals’ needs [4,5]. If the person does not change their ways, there are simple steps you can take to report them to the authorities (see Mewla’s article “Prevent Animal Abuse“). Know that the law requires humans to look out for and provide for their animals. [4,5]  

 

Animals cannot speak for themselves, and most cases of animal cruelty are never reported [4]. When animals are abused, the cruelty can go on for years. It’s up to us to step up and report suspected abuse

What Should I Do if I Suspect Abuse?

 

You can help prevent an animal from suffering. Be someone’s hero. If you suspect abuse, keep your phone camera handy and follow the steps listed at Prevent Animal Abuse.

 

If  you wish to donate to a deserving organization, know that the Humane Society needs funds to help identify and stop animal abuse. Go to https://www.humanesociety.org/how-you-can-help

Animal cruelty laws in several U.S. states require court-ordered evaluation, counseling, treatment, prevention, and/or education for animal abusers. For a list of these statutes, go to

 https://barceducation.org/State-Law-Chart.pdf

Thank you for caring about animals.

Pass on this article and you may help an animal in need. 

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REFERENCES

    1. Downloaded March 17, 2024 from https://www.aspca.org/
    2. Downloaded March 17, 2024 from https://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=411
    3. Downloaded March 17, 2024 from https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/animal-cruelty-facts-and-stats 

    4. Downloaded March 22, 2024 from https://barceducation.org/about-barc/rehabilitating-animal-abusers-technology/#:~:text=other approved agencies.-,B.A.R.C.,that drive the abusive behavior. 

    5. Downloaded March 22, 2024 from https://www.animalsandsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Intervention-Programs-for-Animal-Abuse.pdf