by John Finken

Created on: June 26, 2009   Last Updated: June 27, 2009

For some reason, most people think that kicking a dog is okay if it is being bad, but laying a finger on a child is way over the line. I don't understand how this can be anyone's creed. Animals are living creatures, just like humans. Even lawmakers only give animal abusers a small fraction of the punishment that someone would get it they performed the same acts on a human being. We ourselves are animals, which many people tend to forget.

It is very hard to gather information to get statistics on animal abuse, because almost all animal abuse situations go unreported. Even though such a small percentage of people that see an animal being abused report it, 1880 cases were reported in the media in 2007. 64.5% of these cases were situations where a domestic dog was being abused. The incidents ranged from neglecting to kicking, all the way up to burning the dogs, often because the dog was barking. I wonder why it was barking? Perhaps because of the unsatisfactory living conditions that it's forced to live with every day.

I think it's disgusting to see what some people do to animals, some in anger, and some for fun. I have always been strongly against abuse, no matter what animal, human or not, it is aimed towards. But there is something that I suggest you take the time to watch and listen to so you can understand. The music video for Rise Against's song 'Ready To Fall' shows very graphic and terrible acts performed on animals for enjoyment. It shows two garbage men pick up a dog by its legs and toss it into a giant trash-compactor, while Rise Against lead singer Tim McIlrath shouts out lyrics like Perpetual motion, the image won't focus, a blur is all that's seen. But here in this moment like the eye of the storm, it all came clear to me. I found a shoulder to lean on, an infallible reason to live all by itself. I took one last look from the heights that I once loved, and then I ran like hell! If you dissect these lyrics you can see how they can relate to him realizing how truly horrible animal abuse is. The music video shows many other clips archived from the Internet though. It shows baby chicks being sorted into bins by a factory worker, like they're objects. It also shows cats being electrocuted by a group of teenagers, and live cows having axes swung at their legs to make them collapse. Do you think these people should have to serve serious jail time, or do you feel they deserve a slap on the wrist?

If you're still saying Who cares? Animals aren't people, and only people have feelings!, understand this; Many murderers grew up as a child abusing and being around others who abused animals, most commonly their pets. It is an early sign that someone isn't headed in the right direction, so they should be stopped before they hurt or kill a human being.

If you still think that animal abuse is okay, I don't know what will help you. And if you agree that animal abuse isn't okay, but don't think those who harm animals should be punished with an iron fist, that's a far different problem. Treat all living things as you would your child, as they feel emotions in the exact same way. Animal abuse is NOT okay, and should NOT be tolerated by the law.

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