Animal Abuse by Owners

Robert Gonzales, from Bakersfield, seemed like an average, ordinary man. One night however, he was accused of splashing beach on a small dog, and wrapping the dog’s mouth with duct tape. His goal was to discipline the dog. Gonzales was caught and arrested for abusing the animal. Animal abuse is an occurring problem in the U.S. But can be prevented if we take action.
Robert Gonzales is only one of many people to commit animal cruelty. Kevin Brunson was also accused of harming an animal. He starved his dog, Rambo, until he weighed only fifty-one pounds. A normal dog his size would weigh around one hundred and twenty-five pounds. Rambo was seventy-four pounds underweight. A dog named, Lacey had scabbing around the eyes and other injuries from being abused. “Lashawn Whitehead of Greensboro, admitted to police that she beat her dog for fifteen minutes, then set it on fire. The dog ran away, and she was found. Her injuries were burned ears, a broken jaw, and teeth. She was adopted into a new loving family.” (Cawthon 2) All animals are affected when it comes to animal abuse. Horses have been reported to be starved and in very poor living conditions. Owners don’t clean stalls, feed the animals, or take care of the horses grooming needs. The horses become depressed to due to the lack of care they receive. Sixteen horses were found at Gina Rapuano’s Farm, Apache, Willy, and Destiny are merely three of the horses greatly in need of care. Apache was starved so much you could see his ribs; he was infested with worms, and needed hoof and dental care. Willy had trouble walking, and horrible eye infections. Destiny had such bad dental care that he could not eat properly, and was starving. “The horses eyes were dull; they were not alert. They tried to ignore their surroundings.” (Beach 2) All horses were taken to immediate care and are being nursed back to health. A tearful apology was given by Rapuano. The judge’s decision was that Rapuano didn’t purposefully harm the animal.