Essay #2 RD

I know we all have seen it; a dog tied up and looks like it hasn’t eaten in days or the cat running the streets looking for something to eat. I know we have all heard in the news Michael Vick going to jail for dog fighting but the question is, what kind of reaction do you have when you see or hear about it? You may not all be like me but I get the most horrible feeling in my stomach and I can’t bear it. I love animals and I can’t stand to see them abused. I ask myself, what can I do to help prevent and stop it?

The answer is a lot. There are so many organizations out there that help to prevent the abuse of animals. PETA for example they are People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and they do all of non profit work to stop animal abuse. They petition, protest, have public service announcements and give speeches at schools and other organizations. Just the other day I was watching TV and saw them “The Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency” protesting with her models that animal fur should not be used in fashion. PETA is a great organization and they do a lot to raise awareness of animal abuse but I think more could be done to prevent animal abuse.

Another show I like to watch on TV is “Animal Precinct” on Animal Planet. The show is all about the ASPCA, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The ASPCA and PETA are very similar in the other work that they do like petitioning and public service announcement but ASPCA does a lot more. The ASPCA has its own Humane Law Enforcement Department. Animal Cops. They actually charge and prosecute the people who abuse and neglect animals. They also have there own string of animal shelters for abandoned animals and strays. I think that the ASPCA does the best job at preventing animal cruelty because it not only punishes those who are cruel to animals but the fact that they have there own TV show about it helps to reach more people and raises awareness that animal cruelty is a real problem and wont be tolerated. Michael Vick should have watched this show he might have learned something!!

Animal abuse is not just a problem because it’s cruel to the animal but can be a real big problem for people. Several studies have found a significant relationship between cruelty to animals and violence toward people. The relationship is found more commonly in adolescent cruelty than adult cruelty but is still a problem no matter what the age. This is another big reason I believe in the ASPCA so much because they could also be helping to prevent violence towards humans. They can catch and convict someone for animal cruelty who may one day have violence towards people. The likely hood of this person being cruel to animal again goes down. The likely hood of it progressing to violence toward people also goes down significantly.

I feel it is important to prevent animal cruelty I think no ones does it better than the ASPCA.