Caudle, 1

Ashley Caudle
English IV
Taylor
April 2, 2019

The Importance of Stricter Laws Against Animal Abuse

Thesis: Stricter laws against animal abuse is necessary to benefit society because being cruel

to an animal can cause domestic violence towards others, children included. Abusing an animal

can also cause the animal to be very aggressive and can be a danger to anyone else around which

can cause an unsafe and harmful environment. If everyone increased awareness of animal abuse

and increased punishments to offenders, animal abuse would decrease by a large amount.

“ In two-thousand-seventeen, an 11-year old shepherd mix by the name Bella, was crammed
into

a garbage bag and continuously beaten to death by a shovel. Michael Gallagher, whom was

Bellas owner, tied a zip-tie around her neck before beginning to beat her. Michael fled from the

act when his neighbors intervened. The neighbors noticed Bella was still alive so they

immediately rushed her to the Veterinary Hospital, only to find that Bellas injuries were too

critical. Bella had to be put down. Michael Gallagher pleaded guilty to his crimes and was

charged as a felon for aggravated cruelty to animals. For Michaels crimes, he only served four

months in jail.” (The Case for Tougher Animal Cruelty Laws, 2017)

Many people across the world get away with animal abuse because of lack of reports, and
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investigations covering the crimes. Ten-thousand dogs are killed in illegal dog fights each year.

Most of the people who start illegal dog fights, to make and bet money on, get away with their

wrong doings. Most often, many who have gotten arrested for animal abuse received no more

than probation.

In England and Wales, over thirteen-thousand people were found guilty of animal cruelty,
more

than ninety-two percent of those people avoided prison and/or jail time. The biggest problem

with this situation is most people are not interested in caring. There are many that have no

feelings for animals or any problem with them being mistreated. But what few do not understand

is that animals share the same feelings and pain as us humans do. Love, affection, care,

depression, loneliness, and so forth. It has been proven that animal abuse has a very strong

connection to domestic violence. An abuser may threaten to hurt animals from in their home in

front of their partners and even children to prevent them from leaving or filing a report on the

violence. Research finds it clear that “children who witness animal abuse are three times more

likely to do the same to animals and play a role in a abusive relationship later in their lifetime.

Abusing pets and other animals can create a chain reaction in our community. When an innocent

pet or other animal gets injured, the person who commits the offense can fall into a cycle that can

result in violence against people.” (Wisconsin Humane Society, 2019). Approximately seventy
million pet dogs and seventy-four million pet cats in the United States where twenty men and
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women are assaulted per minute, an average of ten million a year. Seventy-one percent of

domestic violence victims have reported their abuser also targeting their pets.

There are many different types of animal abuse;

I. Neglect
II. Abandonment
III. Hoarding
IV. Illegal dog fights
V. Shooting
VI. Beating

​ ttps://letters2president.org/letters/4011
​Letters To The Next President: Animal Abuse; h

​ There are approximately seventy million stray animals in the United States. Of these seventy
million stray animals, only about six to eight million dogs and cats enter shelters each year.

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(Humane Society of the United States). The main reasons behind animals ending up in shelters

is because of abandonment from their owners and/or being picked up off the streets by animal

control officers.

Approximately, one point five million sheltered animals are euthanized each year.

That is six-hundred and seventy-thousand dogs and eight-hundred and sixty cats being put

down ​each year b​ ecause the animals have no home or owners and the shelters run out of room

and time to care for these innocent animals so feel they have no choice but to euthanize them.

(Pet Statistics, 2019)

Many animals can not defend themselves which is why most people take advantage and do

what they want with them for entertainment or just for “fun”. Aquatic theme parks, zoos,

circuses, and many other venues often exploit animals for entertainment found in others.

Ninety-six percent of circus animals are spent in a small cage. These animals are transported

from city to city and forced to perform for others using barbaric devices like bullwhips, chains,

and cattle prods on the animals to get them to do what they want them to. “ A Tasmanian man

was sentenced to only forty-nine hours of community service and had to pay a fine to the court

of eighty-two dollars and fifteen-cents for beating six penguins to death using sticks.” (The

Conversation US, Inc. 2010-2019). Increasing punishments for offenders of animals abuse
could help decrease the number of animals abused each year. When someone abuses an
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animal and gets little punishment for his/her crimes, it tells that person that they can keep

hurting innocent animals because they will not get a large amount of punishments for their

actions so they will continue to do so and that is not what this society needs. No innocent

creature deserves to be tormented or killed for little to no reason at all. When animals go

through such pain and torture, it can be very hard for them to ever regain their trust towards

people. Many pets who have been mistreated, then thrown out on the street by their owners,

have bitten or shown aggression towards other people that they see. Even people who try to

help the abused animal. They show these signs of aggression because of what they have been

through in their past. Most people do not realize what the animal has been through so when one

bites or hurts another person that they come across, they see the animal as harmful and

dangerous and that it should be put down immediately. But really, the animal is just afraid of

getting abused again. When people abuse any animal in any type of way, whether it is neglect

or torture, it can be harmful for other people in the environment, and fatal for the poor animal.

Studies show that caring for or owning a pet can be good for your health and well-being.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), owning a cat or a dog can

lower high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, which can decrease your chances for heart
disease. Owning a pet can also lower stress and can help prevent depression. A study done

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by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that just stroking your pets fur can lower blood

pressure and make you feel calmer. This is because playing with your pets increases the levels

of “feel-good” chemicals serotonin and dopamine in your brain. Pets can be a source of comfort

for everyone. Many children see pets as their ‘best buds’ and having pets can help children

develop empathy, which is why people should love and care for animals instead of abusing them

and taking advantage of them. Animal abuse can cause a huge impact in society, and not a

good one. But loving and nurturing them? Can be a great thing that this society really needs.

Works Cited

“​Animal Legal Defense Fund est 1997” December 8, 2017

https://aldf.org/article/case-tougher-animal-cruelty-laws/

“Animal abusers ‘get away with it’ and avoid jail time, finds report” August 9, 2017

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40868627

“Health and Wellness from Humana - Why Pets Make You Happy” 2019
https://www.humana.com/prevention-and-care/healthy-living-and-prevention/emotional-health/p
ets

E.A Gjelton, “Animal Cruelty Laws in North Carolina” 2019

https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/criminal/animal-law/animal-cruelty-laws-in-north-carolina.htm
l

Barbara, “Letters To The Next President” November 11, 2016

https://letters2president.org/letters/4011

Kristina Pepelko, “Alarming Facts About Animal Homelessness” 2014

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/12-alarming-facts-about-pet-homelessness/

“Fighting Animal Abuse And Neglect” February 23, 2013

http://rescueink.org/blog/?p=18

“What Is Animal Cruelty and How Can We Stop It For Good?”

https://sentientmedia.org/animal-cruelty/