Violence: Animal Cruelty in the United States

Violence: Animal Cruelty in the United States

I am so sick of hearing cases on the news, like “Man from Atlanta is facing penalties in Georgia in which a puppy was cooked in an oven” or “Brothers in Atlanta are being charged for putting a puppy in a gas range and turning the gas on.” Animal cruelty is one of the most common types of violence in the United States. It is not as accustomed to hear such heartbreaking cases as these. Some of the most common forms of animal cruelty are: Animal testing and experimentation in laboratories, lack of owners care and attention, and using animals as a way of entertainment. Now, lets take a closer look at these three forms of animal cruelty.

Animal testing and experimentation in laboratories is always the form of animal cruelty that touches many hearts. This refers to animals being used in scientific experiments, such as medical, pharmaceutical, and commercial testing. These tests can be very dangerous for animals to partake; many animals are tortured and even killed in these procedures. It is estimated that over 70 million animals are tortured and killed in U.S. laboratories annually. This number has decreased over years due to stricter controls, scientific advances, and higher standards of welfare, but this is still a ridiculous amount of animals that are abused in laboratories a year.

Secondly, the lack of owner’s care and attention is a greater problem then most realize. This is also referred to as animal neglect. This includes starvation, dehydration, inappropriate living conditions, inadequate shelter, unable to seek medical attention when needed, and many others. Anything that can cause pain and suffering to an animal is animal neglect. Because many don’t realize this, this is one of the biggest problems in the U.S. 6-8 million pets are euthanized in animal shelters each year, nearly half are never found a good home and put to sleep. Millions of pets a year are abandoned and die of starvation, dehydration, or injury. Just remember, just like humans, animals need constant love and attention to live a happy health life.

Last but not least, we have animals