animal abuse laws?
- Thread starter Kelsey
- Start date
If you can go to jail for life for killing a human same should apply for domesticated animals (added domesticated because i know there are hunters that it's their job to hunt for their family to keep food on the table). Maybe i said this vaguely, but i get enraged when i hear stories of animal abuse.
me too, even as little as keeping your dogs in the car without the windows rolled down on a hot day.. many dogs die because of that and nobody even takes it as seriously as if there was a little kid in a hot car, both are wrong, both should be taken seriously (i.e. calling the police) there has been many times where i've called the police because i witnessed someone hit their dog or leave them in the car for a long time without the windows rolled down and they never even showed up nor did they care.. i get so angry and usually yell at the owners when they come out
and the sad thing is if an animal even tries to defend itself, people take that as it being aggressive and then it ends up getting to put to sleep. I just hate how people treat animals. If you can't take care of an animal the way it should be taken care of it, don't get one. If someone abuses an animal, they should be punished as if they were doing that to a human. I don't know why animal abuse isn't taken more seriously but it 10000000000000000% should be.
same!!!! like i saw on twitter that someone wants to pass a law where we kill a certain amount of sharks so they don't hurt anyone and i was like ???? you're kidding me, right? the ocean is the sharks home, so obviously if they see something that is seen as a threat in their own territory, they're going to attack it.. same goes for a bear or anything else, even us humans. if someone came and invaded our house, what do you think we're gonna do?
Animal abuse should be taken more seriously, especially as it's a sign of some seriously troubled people (murderers, rapists, serial killers, etc). I think the problem is that in today's society, where cities are struggling to maintain a large enough police force to protect its citizens, it's hard to justify having enough animal enforcement officers to protect animals. There are also many more animals than people, so that makes it equally tricky. I wish people would just BE NICE, but I feel like that for just about everything where dumb people are involved.
(As a side note, I'm always very mad when Mickey yells at Pluto in the older comics/videos...rude Mickey. He should be demoted!
)
(As a side note, I'm always very mad when Mickey yells at Pluto in the older comics/videos...rude Mickey. He should be demoted!
)
I think, to elaborate on what Heather said, it's a problem of who and how.
Who are we going to get to enforce tougher or more animal cruelty laws? There's so many more animals than there are humans, and we already can't enforce our laws on humans. Secondly, how are we going to pay them to do that? We pay taxes to guarantee our safety, animals don't. That's why humans are a civilization, and dogs aren't - we have a structured society in which everyone has a place of supporting each other. Sadly, animals cannot, by nature, be a part of our human civilization in a role equal to that of a human. This is not to say they aren't equally hurt by cruelty/abuse, just that a dog would never be able to take a human's place in society.
We do use animals (note: not abuse) in various places within society - as friends, as police, as therapy, etc. However, I do feel that it'd be unenforceable and cost way too much to try and impose the same penalties on someone who kills an animal maliciously as one who kills a human maliciously.
I do think a better way to do this would be as prescription drugs are managed by pharmacies now - let the professionals (pharmacists/adoption agencies) evaluate anyone who comes in to adopt a domesticated animal and if they sense there's a problem, report it for further investigation. If someone's purposefully adopting an animal and then abusing it, that should carry the same weight as a human crime, in my opinion. If someone's taking care of a stray that would rather die, and they happen to kick it in anger once or twice, well, you have to think, that stray would be dead without them most likely. It's a grey line between purposeful abuse/adopting with intent to abuse, and just not taking as good care of an animal as someone else might.
Who are we going to get to enforce tougher or more animal cruelty laws? There's so many more animals than there are humans, and we already can't enforce our laws on humans. Secondly, how are we going to pay them to do that? We pay taxes to guarantee our safety, animals don't. That's why humans are a civilization, and dogs aren't - we have a structured society in which everyone has a place of supporting each other. Sadly, animals cannot, by nature, be a part of our human civilization in a role equal to that of a human. This is not to say they aren't equally hurt by cruelty/abuse, just that a dog would never be able to take a human's place in society.
We do use animals (note: not abuse) in various places within society - as friends, as police, as therapy, etc. However, I do feel that it'd be unenforceable and cost way too much to try and impose the same penalties on someone who kills an animal maliciously as one who kills a human maliciously.
I do think a better way to do this would be as prescription drugs are managed by pharmacies now - let the professionals (pharmacists/adoption agencies) evaluate anyone who comes in to adopt a domesticated animal and if they sense there's a problem, report it for further investigation. If someone's purposefully adopting an animal and then abusing it, that should carry the same weight as a human crime, in my opinion. If someone's taking care of a stray that would rather die, and they happen to kick it in anger once or twice, well, you have to think, that stray would be dead without them most likely. It's a grey line between purposeful abuse/adopting with intent to abuse, and just not taking as good care of an animal as someone else might.
"If someone's taking care of a stray that would rather die, and they happen to kick it in anger once or twice, well, you have to think, that stray would be dead without them most likely." This statement I disagree with. Kicking your animal in anger not only can cause serious internal damage to the animal, but also shows that the person may have an underlying anger management issue. If a person kicks an animal in a rage, what's stopping them from kicking a young child that misbehaves?
I will admit that everyone's standards of pet care are very different. Not everyone can give the spacious home with interaction for many hours a day. Some people who truly love their pets have an outdoor/barn dog that isn't allowed in the house, but that animal is given some sort of shelter from the weather. (Side note: Dog houses can get super hot in summer, so make sure your pet has access to other shade and plenty of water if able.) Not every animal gets the best food, housing, etc. Some people call it abuse if the owner is stuck at work late, and can't let their pet out in a timely manner.
Now the tough thing about 'going to jail for killing' animals is that there are considered humane ways of killing animals, such as pharmacological euthanasia, exsanguination, or a CO2 chamber. Euthanizing a pet for medical reasons and preventing further suffering is in my opinion an ideal way to go about it. The euthanasia of an aggressive animal has always been a tough decision made often by both the owner and the veterinarian involved. From the veterinarian/animal care standpoint, aggressive animals are very tough to home, and may cause injury to a future owner. Shelters have been sued for adopting a dog that attacked a human after adoption. For this reason, aggressive animals are usually euthanized.
From the owner's standpoint, some people have animals that are very aggressive, and sincerely put in their best effort to give that animal a loving home, including seeing behaviorists. If that animal attacks a person though, often the police ask for the animal to be euthanized for safety reasons. Aggressive animals can cause serious damage to a person, and often there is very little that can be done to prevent a future attack.
Short story: A kitten was brought to the vet clinic I work at when she was about 3 months old. She was found, as well as other kittens and left at the clinic. The kittens were all treated for parasites and attempted to be socialized for re-homing. One of the kittens was very protective of the other kittens and would attack anyone that went into the cage. She bit, scratched, and spat at any person who attempted to enter, myself included. The other kittens were sweet and all moved on to loving homes, but the one aggressive black female cat was still there for four months. During that time, she was spayed and declawed on her front paws to prevent injury to anyone handling her. I wanted a pet, and no one wanted her, so I took her to school with me. She would attack me during the night for no reason. Sometimes she would attach with teeth and back claws to my leg or arm for no reason. If I tried to touch her, she would hiss and attack. I have scars on my left arm from her from over a year ago. If a person would have hit this point and chose to put this cat down, I would have accepted that they at least tried to give this cat a loving home... but she was my cat, and I'm a stubborn person sometimes, so I kept her. It's been almost two years since I brought home this little monster, and now she is a tame, somewhat friendly cat. She will never be a cuddly cat, and I'm okay with that. She hasn't attacked me in over a year now, and I love her a ton. Meet Ghost:
Why this cat was aggressive, I have no idea. She was a vicious little kitten that was found under a pool deck, no abusive history, but still the meanest kitten I have ever met in about 8 years of working with animals.
Just saying not all aggressive animals are abuse related, and not all aggressive animals will ever be 'normal'.
Now, this said, I am completely against animal abuse, but there are so many grey areas to make solid laws about anything. If killing was considered abuse, that may cause trouble down the line for veterinarians performing humane euthanasia. If laws protecting animal behavior issues existed, who would be willing to sacrifice their health for the hundreds/thousands of euthanasias due to behavioral problems? (Note: Before behavioral euthanasias are done, most veterinarians will be sure to rule out any curable medical condition that could be causing the behaviors.)
Sorry for mini story-time/rant day...
I will admit that everyone's standards of pet care are very different. Not everyone can give the spacious home with interaction for many hours a day. Some people who truly love their pets have an outdoor/barn dog that isn't allowed in the house, but that animal is given some sort of shelter from the weather. (Side note: Dog houses can get super hot in summer, so make sure your pet has access to other shade and plenty of water if able.) Not every animal gets the best food, housing, etc. Some people call it abuse if the owner is stuck at work late, and can't let their pet out in a timely manner.
Now the tough thing about 'going to jail for killing' animals is that there are considered humane ways of killing animals, such as pharmacological euthanasia, exsanguination, or a CO2 chamber. Euthanizing a pet for medical reasons and preventing further suffering is in my opinion an ideal way to go about it. The euthanasia of an aggressive animal has always been a tough decision made often by both the owner and the veterinarian involved. From the veterinarian/animal care standpoint, aggressive animals are very tough to home, and may cause injury to a future owner. Shelters have been sued for adopting a dog that attacked a human after adoption. For this reason, aggressive animals are usually euthanized.
From the owner's standpoint, some people have animals that are very aggressive, and sincerely put in their best effort to give that animal a loving home, including seeing behaviorists. If that animal attacks a person though, often the police ask for the animal to be euthanized for safety reasons. Aggressive animals can cause serious damage to a person, and often there is very little that can be done to prevent a future attack.
Short story: A kitten was brought to the vet clinic I work at when she was about 3 months old. She was found, as well as other kittens and left at the clinic. The kittens were all treated for parasites and attempted to be socialized for re-homing. One of the kittens was very protective of the other kittens and would attack anyone that went into the cage. She bit, scratched, and spat at any person who attempted to enter, myself included. The other kittens were sweet and all moved on to loving homes, but the one aggressive black female cat was still there for four months. During that time, she was spayed and declawed on her front paws to prevent injury to anyone handling her. I wanted a pet, and no one wanted her, so I took her to school with me. She would attack me during the night for no reason. Sometimes she would attach with teeth and back claws to my leg or arm for no reason. If I tried to touch her, she would hiss and attack. I have scars on my left arm from her from over a year ago. If a person would have hit this point and chose to put this cat down, I would have accepted that they at least tried to give this cat a loving home... but she was my cat, and I'm a stubborn person sometimes, so I kept her. It's been almost two years since I brought home this little monster, and now she is a tame, somewhat friendly cat. She will never be a cuddly cat, and I'm okay with that. She hasn't attacked me in over a year now, and I love her a ton. Meet Ghost:
Why this cat was aggressive, I have no idea. She was a vicious little kitten that was found under a pool deck, no abusive history, but still the meanest kitten I have ever met in about 8 years of working with animals.
Just saying not all aggressive animals are abuse related, and not all aggressive animals will ever be 'normal'.
Now, this said, I am completely against animal abuse, but there are so many grey areas to make solid laws about anything. If killing was considered abuse, that may cause trouble down the line for veterinarians performing humane euthanasia. If laws protecting animal behavior issues existed, who would be willing to sacrifice their health for the hundreds/thousands of euthanasias due to behavioral problems? (Note: Before behavioral euthanasias are done, most veterinarians will be sure to rule out any curable medical condition that could be causing the behaviors.)
Sorry for mini story-time/rant day...
I think people should take a hard look at the beginning to understand why there aren’t certain applicable man-made laws already in place when such comes into question for people. Human beings will never take anything seriously that they see as being a lower form of life then themselves because of their psychological predispositions. Every person does this, even if they somehow believe they never have been guilty of such, their thoughts can tell a different story. The irony in all of it, being that when another force suppresses them as they treat others, they suddenly find themselves in wanting and begging for a type of righteous mercy to be bestowed upon them. If people truly want stricter laws regarding the treatment of certain/all animal breeds, then their disposition will have to change. It’s as simple as that really. Call this a pessimistic view if you will, but I do not see this ever changing because of the way people are, even with one another; mankind is inherently evil and easily succumbs to the ways of self-service. Is man going to point the finger at himself and change this? No. You’ll have a difficult enough time getting people just to treat one another justly, much less animals. Whereas myself or anyone else necessarily “likes” animals or not, that is beside the point. You don’t have to like something to accept it or even respect it. There’s also the question of whether or not you should kill something just because “you can” (in terms of animal cruelty). Something else to think about, if killing is wrong, all people have done it either directly or indirectly (I.E. – your foot, a person's car window etc.) It is impossible to walk through life without killing a bug due to a particular species, for rate of populace and the rapid rate of breeding. If nothing was destroyed, then life itself would not exist for human beings on this planet. That can easily be considered cruel when it comes to other living things; some may say a “necessary evil” even. All in all, this is where human beings have come up from, in this environment. I don’t think it’s an excuse for people but they certainly need to stop pointing that finger at everyone else all the time, instead of at themselves because mankind will never change/make such laws, and to reiterate again; until their disposition changes, (you could say that applies more than to just animals and life) because mankind has the worst disposition in general, out of any living thing that’s ever walked this earth. If man wishes to change his fortunes, consider it quintessential to change his disposition so that it eventually becomes an anomaly for man, until finally obtaining a more harmonic and natural order.
*Edit* - Oh and by the way, ^Ghost is a cool name for a cat someone mentioned hah..
*Edit* - Oh and by the way, ^Ghost is a cool name for a cat someone mentioned hah..
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