Animal Cruelty Awareness

Animal cruelty is simply the cruel and unwarranted treatment of animals. One major type of cruelty is torture, along with neglect and cruel treatment during animal testing. The definition of animal cruelty varies from state to state and country to country. Many of the cases often go unnoticed.
Dogs are the most common victims of animal cruelty, especially pit-bulls which account for 25% of all cases involving dogs. Of the 1,880 cases reported, 64.5% involved dogs, 18% involved cats, and 25% involved other animals.

The Humane Society of the United States defines puppy mills as breeding facilities that produce purebred puppies in large numbers. Puppies from puppy mills are often sold to the public directly through the Internet, newspaper ads, or from the mill itself. Many of the problems that exist inside many of the puppy mills include: overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of human socialization, overcrowded cages and the killing of unwanted animals. Many of the dogs at puppy mills spend their entire lives in a small-wired cage. The reason puppy mills are a big problem today is because unsuspecting customers go to pet stores and buy puppies not knowing that they might have come from a puppy mill. The Humane Society of the United States had an eighth month long investigation of Petland Inc., the country's largest chain of puppy-selling pet stores. The results of the investigation showed that many Petland stores across the country supported puppy mills while telling customers that the pets came from loving and caring private owners. The Humane Society of the United States and other organizations are trying to convince people to stop buying puppies from pet stores that support puppy mills. Many people think that buying a puppy mill puppy will save them, but the Humane Society urges people not to because the money will go directly to the puppy mills and just make room for another puppy inside that mill. The USDA is supposed to monitor and inspect kennels to ensure that they are not violating the housing standards of the Animal Welfare Act, but kennel inspections are a low priority. Most organizations against puppy mills agree that the best way to purchase a companion is to adopt one from an animal shelter or a rescue group. Hopefully in the near future people can see how terrible these puppy mills are and will start to take initiative to stop them. The following YouTube video is of a puppy mill raid in Tennessee where hundreds of dogs are rescued by the HSUS.




"Puppy Mills." The Humane Society of the United States. Nov 26, 2007. http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/get_the_facts_on_puppy_mills/. 22 Apr 2009

"Petland Linked to Puppy Mills." Human Society of the United States. November 20, 2008 . 22 Apr 2009 .

"Puppy Mills: Dogs Abused for the Pet Trade." PETA Media Center. PETA. 22 Apr 2009 .

Some forms of animal testing are scientific, and are necessary for medical advances and to save human lives, but there are many different types of animal testing that are cruel and unnecessary for society. There is technically no law in the United States that prohibits any experiments in lab, even the most painful and unnecessary ones. The Animal Welfare Act is the only law in place that protects some rights of animals, but it is weakly enforced does not protect cold-blooded animals, birds, mice, or animals that are commonly used for food. Even under the AWA, animals can still be electrically shocked, burned, starved, and hooked up to all kinds of machines, as long as the laboratory that the experiment is held is clean (PETA).
Each year, a few million different animals suffer and die in cruel tests to determine the safety of different cosmetics and other household items. Substances ranging from eye shadow, soap, furniture polish, to oven cleaner are tested on rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, dogs, monkeys and other animals, despite the fact that test results do not truly help prevent or treat human illness or injury because the tests are not normally reliable (MFA).
Below is a picture of albino rabbits that are locked up so their heads cannot move. The tests done on these rabbits include dropping a liquid, granule, or powdered substance of a cosmetic or soap into the eyes (MFA). The rabbits do not normally receive any type of anesthetic during the testing, and their eyelids are often held open with clips. These innocent rabbits often break their necks while trying to break free from the brace that holds them (MFA).





This is only one example of animal testing, and is by far not even the cruelest of the different experiments out there. The truth is, there is no law requiring animal testing for these cosmetic and household products, the FDA just requires that each ingredient in the product is proved “adequately substantiated for safety” before sale. Most testing methods are solely up to the manufacturer (MFA).

“Animals Used for Experimentation." PETA. Accessed Apr. 2009. .

“Cosmetic Testing." Mercy For Animals. Accessed Apr. 2009. .

The United Sates put the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) into effect in 1996. The AWA, enforced by the Animal Care Division of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), contains provisions to ensure that species used in research receive a certain standard of care as long as the form of care doesn’t interfere with the parameters of the experiment taking place. The Farm Security Act of 2002, however, excludes purpose bred animals such as certain birds, rats, and mice. Therefore, few animals used in research are covered by this legislation. There are many other important acts and legislation that also protect animals’ rights. Many conservation acts have been put in place to help save endangered and threatened species.

In regards to the slaughter of animals, the following act has been instituted to ensure that all methods are humane:
HUMANE SLAUGHTER ACT, 7. U.S.C. 1901-1906
The central provision of the Humane Slaughter Act (HSA) reads:
No method of slaughter or handling in connection with slaughtering shall be deemed to comply with the public policy of the United States unless it is humane. Either of the following two methods of slaughtering and handling are hereby found to be humane:
(a) in the case of cattle, calves, horses, mules, sheep, swine, and other livestock, all animals are rendered insensible to pain by a single blow or gunshot or an electrical, chemical or other means that is rapid and effective, before being shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut; or
(b) by slaughtering in accordance with the ritual requirements of the Jewish faith or any other religious faith that prescribes a method of slaughter whereby the animal suffers loss of consciousness by anemia of the brain caused by the simultaneous and instantaneous severance of the carotid arteries with a sharp instrument and handling in connection with such slaughtering.

The Humane Society of the United States. 21 Apr. 2009
http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/legislation/CRS-07-animal-protection-fed-statutes.pdf

The question is not whether animal cruelty is immoral; it is whether or not hunting is a form of animal cruelty. Hunting is not a form of animal cruelty under any circumstances for many reasons. Hunting practices across the United States are much more humane than many slaughter houses in the meatpacking industry. Not only do hunting practices greatly benefit the environment, but they help society as well. Hunting limits animal populations from becoming too large, which is beneficial for almost every ecosystem. For example, without hunting, populations of deer would reach overwhelming numbers. If the deer population were to get too high and reach climax capacity, disease and starvation would occur. Chronic Wasting Disease, a disease most prevalent among deer and other cervid species, is a disease that directly affects the animal’s neurological system. Results associated with CWD include loss of body condition, behavioral abnormalities, and eventually death. If overpopulation were to occur, deer would have to travel farther and wider for food. This search would lead them to farm fields and the consumption of crops that would otherwise go to the consumer, the people of America. Many other animals also feed upon the same foods on which deer consume. This would cause competition among species, and would greatly affect the ecological web. Deer related accidents are responsible for over 1.5 million accidents per year. By nature, man is an omnivore, and has been so since his roots began. Predatory hunting for consumption is not immoral because a man’s right to life far outweighs an animal’s. Because hunting practices are, in many cases, more humane than in slaughter houses, and does far more good than bad, it cannot be considered immoral.

One kind of animal cruelty is dog fighting. An estimated 40,000 people participate in this sport in the United States. The most common breed used for dog fighting is pit bull. Dog fighting is a contest between two dogs that have been specifically trained for fighting. The dogs are placed in a pit for spectators to watch and participate in gambling on the fight. The dogs are allowed to fight until one cannot or will not continue. Dog fighting is illegal in many countries. Dog fighting is considered animal abuse because of the violence that the animals must endure during the fights and the suffering they usually endure in training. Most of the time, this suffering is intentional because the trainers believe that the more they suffer, the tougher they will become. Many of the dogs used in this activity die due to blood loss, shock, dehydration, infection of wounds, or exhaustion. Furthermore, some dogs who don’t perform up to par are executed. Another reason dog fighting is cruel is the fact that many trainers use “bait” animals to train the dogs. “Bait” animals are smaller animals such as cats, rabbits, or small dogs that are sacrificed for training the dogs. Another problem with dog fighting are the illegal activities that occur at the events. Illegal gambling is the norm at dog fighting events. Other kinds of violence and distribution of illegal drugs also occurs at these events. In most states, dog fighting is a felony. But in some, it is only a misdemeanor. In all states, it is still legal to be a spectator at a fight or own a fighting dog. Taking steps to make dog fighting a felony in all states and making spectating and owning illegal could very well prevent much of the dog fighting that takes place (The Humane Society).

“Dog Fighting Fact Sheet.” The Humane Society of the United States. 19 Apr 2009. http://www.hsus.org/hsus_field/animal_fighting_the_final_round/dogfighting_fact_sheet/