Cruelty Towards Pets

“The Greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”- Mahatma Gandhi. We believe that we are a great nation who has high moral values. If this is true, then why since 2000 have reports of animal cruelty jumped up 40 percent? Cases that involve neglect, abuse, mutilation and, yes, bestiality. There are two main categories of animal cruelty. First being Passive cruelty, also referred to as Acts of Omission. This type of cruelty is sometimes controversial and carries a fine line. It’s typified by cases of neglect, where the crime is a lack of action rather than action itself. This includes maybe not providing enough food and water for your pet, or not providing medical attention when needed. The other category is called Active cruelty or Acts of Comission. This implies malicious intent, a person deliberately and intentionally causing harm to an animal. Sometimes referred to as NAI(non-accidental injury). A current case of this category I came across happened right here where we all live. A Tucson man was convicted for shooting his dog and then started cutting off the animals body parts while it laid there dying, still alive. Other cases I found involved the beating and torture of cats and dogs, dismemberment, pets being drenched in flammable liquids and set ablaze while still alive, and even drowning. Small kittens and puppies thrown in a bag and tossed into the desert to die. All this is being done at the hands of their owners. The ones who are supposed to care and protect them. But, what the hell, they’re just dumb animals right?

There are more American household that have pets than children. We spend more money on pet food than we do on baby food. So maybe it doesn’t come as a surprise that the Humane Society of the United States found that 88 percent of animal abuse comes from homes where children are also abused. It seems that pet abuse and domestic violence go hand in hand. 70 percent of animal abusers also have