Animal Cruelty 1

One of the most shocking and gruesome stories over the last five years has been the report of Michael Vick running a dog fighting scandal in the confines of his Virginia home.   This story was covered by every single major news outlet across the United States and caused uproar amongst millions of animal lovers.   While this press undoubtedly raised awareness of the perils of animal cruelty, there are still hundreds and hundreds of cases that go unnoticed every day.   For how loving and caring animals are to human beings, it is about time that we stand up to those who mistreat them and give animals the support they need and deserve.   There have obviously been several animal activist groups over the years such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) but there is still so much we can do to raise awareness of this issue and make a difference.
There are varying degrees of animal cruelty, however, one no better than the other.   It is important to recognize each one and the motives behind the owner’s abuse because there needs to be different ways to handle these crimes.   There is blatant abuse, such as in the Michael Vick case, where owners put animals in an atmosphere that is detrimental to their health and well-being.   As for Vick, he bred and trained dogs to become vicious fighters as a part of his operation called “Bad Newz Kennels” (Schorn 1).   CBS Sports Anchor James Brown asked Vick in an interview what had motivated him to continue to run this operation despite him knowing the risks and consequences of doing so (1).   Vick cited that despite knowing everything he was doing was wrong, it was the competition and adrenaline that kept him in the business (1).
The second form of animal cruelty can be best described as overall neglect from the owners.   Oftentimes the common alibi from those who neglect their pets is that they honestly do not feel like they are mistreating them at all.   This is mostly highlighted by animal hoarders.   PETA’s website defines... [continues]

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