Animals are being taken for granted and abused every year. A million animals are mistreated across the world and are not noticed until it is too late. According to the National Humane Society, “The shocking number of animal cruelty cases reported every day is just the tip of the iceberg—most cases are never reported.”

Dogs, Cats, Horses, livestock and other animals are being abused. According to an organization called DoSomething.org “900 to 2,000 new cases every year of animal hoarding in the US, with 250,000 animals falling victim.” The abuse of animals is primarily done by human beings; therefore, this is an issue needs to be more harshly criminalized.

Animal cruelty is when someone does not take care of an animal properly which causes an animal to suffer. The primary factor that contributes to animal abuse is neglect. Examples of neglect include lack of shelter, food, water and keeping animals in unsanitary conditions. According to the Humane Society, 70 million dogs and 74.1 million cats are assaulted per minute while only 20 men and women are assaulted per minute.

According to The National Humane Society “The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has prosecuted multiple cases where drug cartels were running narcotics through cockfighting and dogfighting operations.” Some people see a struggling animal as entertainment and they are likely to abuse more animals once they start.

What can we do to help? There will always be people who abuse animals, but it is important to try to solve this problem. Many pet shelters are overcrowded and in need of resources. According to Murray, an animal shelter took in 32,000 animals and 44 dogs are dying each day in the shelter. People can help animals in need by reporting any abuse that they notice and donating to shelters. Supporters can donate not just money but also food and blankets for the pets to improve their standard of living. Connecticut Humane Society located in Newington, Connecticut can accept monetary food and blanket donations to support the pets living in the shelter.

Some people would say that donating or reporting abuse does not solve the problem. Even though the whole situation is not completely fixed, every little donation counts and does a little something to help the problem of animal abuse and neglect.

Most people do not get prison time for animal abuse. While the laws in CT allows people to be sentenced to jail ranging anywhere from 30 days to 10 years for animal abuse, judges need to convict people more harshly. If sentences were more punitive the people would be fear the consequence.

Animals cannot defend themselves so we have a responsibility to defend them.