RUNNING HEAD: ANIMAL ABUSE IN AMERICA 1

The Causes and Effects of Animal Abuse in the United States

Max Hammar

Edina High School

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Introduction

The general public does not fully understand the ramifications of animal abuse, but many

solutions like better laws against animal abuse and nonprofits that work towards ending animal

abuse are currently taking place. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the public has become

increasingly aware of the problem that is animal abuse. Yet it is still a major problem in the

United States. The major problem of animal abuse is due to people not being informed about the

scale of the problem and why animal abusers actually abuse animals. The connection between

animal abuse and human violence needs to be learned by the public. Animal abusers almost

always end up being violent towards humans, committing crimes like assault, domestic abuse,

and sometimes murder; this problem can be solved by putting a stop to the problem at a young

age, people advocating for better laws against animal abuse, and people volunteering and

donating to nonprofits and animal rights groups.

Definition and Causes of Animal Abuse

Animal abuse can be defined as mistreatment and/or neglect of the animal. Mistreatment

is intentionally hurting an animal through things like stabbing, shooting, and beating. Neglect is

not caring for an animal like it should be cared for; this includes not feeding the animal, not

letting it out to use the bathroom, and not providing proper healthcare/hygiene.

The general public not being informed about what animal abuse actually looks like is a

major reason that this problem still exists and has not been stopped. In an article written by UPI

Science News they reported that in most cases of animal abuse the type of abuse usually isn't as

dramatic as animal abuse is usually thought to be, often times it is someone neglecting their pet

and not giving it the proper care it needs. (Cukan, 2003) In general, the public thinks of animal
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abuse as a very dramatic event when really animal abuse is not as dramatic as you might think

but it is still just as unacceptable. Not every case is someone beating up their pet although this

does happen, a majority of the time the abuse is neglect and abandonment of the animal which is

no less cruel than someone beating up their pet. People also should always look for any of the

signs of animal abuse because frequently this can lead to bigger crimes and abuse against

humans.

Parents not seeing the warning signs of animal abuse and confronting the problem at a

young age contributes to this problem and further prevents the problem from being stopped. As

stated in an article published in Psychology Today, The warning signs that there is a need for a

professional to step in are things like abusing a pet after getting in trouble, putting your animal in

a confined space, and getting pleasure from watching an injured animal. (Johnston, 2011) This

proves that the root of this problem usually starts during childhood and parents need to recognize

the warning signs and take action to prevent more abuse further in life. If a child gets the mindset

that abusing animals is ok, they will think that abusing animals is no big deal and this will

usually lead to more violent crimes against humans in the future. A parent should never blow off

these warning signs and make the problem smaller than it actually is.

Children who have been abused during their lives have a higher chance of becoming

animal abusers and this causes the problem to continue. According to Colorado Lawyer; Melissa

Trollinger (2001), it was found that the behavior patterns towards one's children were similar to

those toward one's pets. Similarly, a lieutenant with the Buffalo, New York, Police Department

compared records from the local animal humane society with domestic violence complaints and

discovered that approximately one-third of the names were on both lists. Often times children
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who have been abused will go on to abuse animals and this leads to people abusing other

humans. These findings by Melissa and the Buffalo police department show that there is a direct

correlation between animal and domestic violence. The study done by the Buffalo police

department shows that a large amount of people who have abused animals at sometime in their

life went on to be violent towards humans. The direct correlation between animals abusers and

those who are violent towards humans cannot be taken lightly and there needs to be stiffer laws

in place against these people.

Weak laws that allow animal abusers to get away with minimal punishment is a big factor

in animal abuse continuing to be a problem. As stated by the executive director of the Animal

Legal Defense Fund, we are appreciative of the states who realize that there is a direct

connection between violence against humans and abuse towards animals. Those states gave

judges the power to add animals to protective orders against domestic violence, we would like

other states to do the same. (ALDF, 2015) Many states realize that there is a direct correlation

between animal and human abusers and they should be treated equal in the justice system but

there are still states that don't realize this and they are the reason animal abuse continues in such

a large way. When every state treats animal abuse as domestic violence the problem will subside

because abusers won't have any place they can go to where they slip under the radar and can get

away with this crime.

The Effects of Animal Abuse

A major effect of this problem is animals experience extreme physical, mental, and

emotional pain because of abuse. The fact is, all animals feel pain, fear and loneliness. Were

asking people to recognize that what Jews and others went through in the Holocaust is what
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animals go through every day in factory farms. (PETA, 2010, pg 474) This quote compares the

physical, mental, and emotional pain that abused animals go through every day to the Holocaust

in which 6 million Jewish people were murdered. This shows that animals go through extreme

pain both physically and emotionally because the Holocaust was one of the worst events in

history and the pain that abused animals go through every day can be compared to this.

As a result of animal abuse, abusers will frequently go onto become violent towards

humans who are vulnerable and can't defend themselves. "If you're willing to exert that in a

cruel, malicious and vicious way, then you're likely to do that to people, too, who don't have

power, like children and vulnerable adults. (Knezevich, 2015) Many people who were jailed for

domestic abuse also reported that at some point in their life they also abused an animal and that

was the gateway to their abusive lifestyle. This shows that animal abuse has a bigger effect than

most people realize because it can create abusive people who will hurt children and adults that

are not as powerful as they are.

Another consequence of animal abuse is the abused animals tend to become aggressive

towards humans causing many abused animals to be put down. According to Paws in the City,

usually animals that have been abused will become very aggressive and will end up in shelters or

be put down because they have been aggressive towards owners and people do not want an

aggressive pet. (Singleton, 2011) Abused animals that only need to be trained not to be

aggressive towards humans are being killed and are ending up without homes because of the

animal abusers. The abusers are the reason for the aggressiveness and if they were stopped, then

no animals would end up without homes and no animals would be put to death because they are

aggressive towards humans.

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Solutions and Current Actions Taking Place

A very effective solution to animal abuse is stopping the abuse at a young age. Often

times children will abuse animals when they are children and this frequently leads to violence

against humans later in life. As reported by an article published by the DSPCA, Abuse can only

be ended through intervention with the abuser. If the intervention happens at an earlier age

usually they will not go onto be an abuser. (Kerins, 2012) When children abuse animals at a

young age, often times it is just experimentation and exploration because they are kids and they

are still learning. Despite it being experimentation, the abuse should not be taken lightly and

pushed aside because if it is not stopped early it is very likely that it will continue and later in life

and they have a high likelihood of abusing humans. If adults step in early and stop the problem

while their child is still young, it can be prevented altogether and we will be one step closer to

ending this problem completely.

This problem can be solved by people being activists for stronger laws against animal

abuse and stronger punishments for the abusers. In an article published by Gale, Cengage

Learning (2016) they said, People can contact their local newspapers or television stations

whenever stories about animal cruelty appear in the news to show support for stiff penalties for

these abusers. Individuals can donate money or volunteer time at their local animal shelters or

rescue organizations, which deal with consequences of animal cruelty. The abusers and

criminals will never be stopped if people don't work to end this problem and show support for

the animals in need. The laws and punishments in America are currently not as harsh as they

should be and they will only become stiffer through people donating money and volunteering
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time. Through people advocating for better laws and actively helping the shelters and animals

that are abused this problem can be stopped.

Currently in the United States there are animal rights groups and nonprofits that are

working to stop animal abuse. The mission statement for one of these groups called ASPCA is

"to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United

States." (Bergh, 1866) The mission statement shows that they are fighting to end this problem

and they are actively trying to solve it. This group has been around for a very long time and is

still working to end this problem today. These groups are good solutions because they have many

people who support their cause and they increase the public's awareness to the problem which

brings animal abuse one step closer to being stopped.

Conclusion

Animal abuse is a major problem in the United States today and can negatively impact a

wide variety of animals. Neglect and physical abuse cause a lot of suffering and pain for the

animals. It is very important for people to inform others about this problem and to be able to

recognize the warning signs of animal abuse. Many abusers start at a young age and progress to

more serious crimes, including domestic abuse and assault. In the United States currently the

laws are not consistent in terms of punishment for these abusers. This problem is important

because many animals are put through pain and suffering everyday and the abusers are allowed

to continue their patterns of abuse. People need to come together and come down hard on animal

abusers. I encourage you to take a stand against animal abuse and not tolerate any forms of it,

write letters to legislators for tougher consequences for the abuser, advocate for those animals

who can't advocate for themselves, and always report any signs of abuse to local authorities.
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References

Cukan, A. (2003, April 7). Preventing animal cruelty. UPI science news.

Retrieved November 28, 2016, from

http://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?artno=0000168540&type=ART

Johnston, J. (2011, April 27). Children who are cruel to animals: When to

worry. Retrieved November 21, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/

blog/the-human-equation/201104/children-who-are-cruel-animals-when-worry

Trollinger, M. (2001, September). The link among animal abuse, child abuse, and

domestic violence. Retrieved November 21, 2016, from

https://www.animallaw.info/article/

link-among-animal-abuse-child-abuse-and-domestic-violence

Animal Legal Defense Fund. (2015, December 16). 2015 report released: Best &

worst animal protection laws by state ranked #1 #50. Retrieved November

23, 2016, from http://aldf.org/press-room/press-releases/

2015-report-released-best-worst-animal-protection-laws-by-state-ranked-1-50/

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (2010) Gale Encyclopedia of

American Law (3rd ed., Vol. 7, pp. 472-474)

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%7CCX1337703294&asid=ae5a2e3776bd9fee457d293347091a02

Knezevich, A. (2015, November 27). FBI to start tracking animal cruelty

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Singleton, B. (2011, October 10). Furry friends have feelings, too. Retrieved

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Kerins, M. (2012, June 1). Why do some children abuse animals? Retrieved

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Preventing Animal Cruelty. (2016). In Gale Student Resources in Context.

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Bergh, H. (1866). ASPCA mission statement. Retrieved November 28, 2016, from

http://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/mission