The Condition of Animal Cruelty and Animal Rights in America

Aaron Shaw

Period. 6

The Condition of Animal Cruelty and Animal Rights in America

Part I: 

            All types of animals across the nation are abused or not taken care of properly.  Animal cruelty is a much more rampant problem than one might think, and it has recently been raising the question of animal rights.  Animal Cruelty can be defined in many ways, but it is generally considered the abuse and neglect of an animal, and it applies to more than just pets, (Pet-Abuse).  Animals have been used by society for centuries, however, only recently has the concern for their rights been addressed. People are just barely starting to understand the fact that animals are quite intelligent and should not be tortured in ways they are today.  Industrialized farming, hunting and the common home owner of pets, are all contributors to animal cruelty in modern society.  Currently, as industrialized farming is becoming increasingly popular, the livelihood of farm animals is being questioned due to the lack of hygiene and appreciation for basic animal needs.  Many home pets are suffering greatly due to a lack of care.  Millions of pets are on the streets or in filled shelters without homes, and although the problem has been improving as more pets are taken off the streets, it still exists, (Common Questions). On the other hand, on farms, the problem is growing. Farms shouldn’t be forgotten, as Gary L. Francione said, farm animals, “clearly have interests, preferences and desires and are able to act to satisfy their interests and preferences,” "a fact that should give them at least some “right” to moral consideration by humans, with whom they share those traits”, (Clemmitt).  Economics plays into the lives of farm animals too; by giving less care and space to an animal, a farmer will make more money.  Farmers are also being forced to put animals in horrific environments, since it is the best way to deal with increased demand.  Animal cruelty is clearly wide spread, and although it’s mostly a moral issue, it is also an issue of economics and maintaining a healthy community.  For me, the fact that our economy may suffer or our communities aren’t as tidy as they could be isn’t the problem.  I find it disturbing that humans are causing unnecessary harm to animals that we bring into the world.  The major issue is that pets are neglected and animals are mistreated, only for our benefit.  A community also needs to be protected, and assured that animals aren’t astray or suffering.  The result could cause civil unrest.  On local levels, too many pets that are abused or left homeless, forces the government to spend money to shelter animals.  The community’s money goes towards sheltering animals, while the solution lies in their hands.

            Everyone agrees that animals should not be abused.  Humans have emotions, and we treat dying or helpless animals with care and love.  The public may not be so aware to the fact that many animals are neglected and that there is an overpopulation of them, but, anyone would want the best for an animal.  ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) not only helps to fix the issue of animal cruelty, but, it is a perfect example of a public reaction to it.  As a stray cat ran across a baseball field, Tony La Russa captured it to make sure it was alright.  He and his wife later discovered that there were no shelters that could take care of the cat.  Their response was to create their own shelter that would not be as negative as the other ones.  The result was ARF, which helps to save more animals from being euthanized, and it heightens the education of the public.  There are many other public organizations that fight cases of animal cruelty.  The government at the federal level has organizations like The Humane Society to crack down on animal cruelty.  However, the main responses to animal cruelty are on the state level.  Each state has its own laws.  Some are more progressive than others.

Part II: 

            Since the government response to animal cruelty and animal rights is at the state level, the laws and attitude varies greatly.  Every state has laws forbidding animal cruelty, and 41 states make it a felony, (Cruelty Laws).  It has taken America a long time for every state to pass some law against animal cruelty.  Our nation has responded to the issue in the past by creating basic laws that are required to maintain decency.  However, recently, in the late 20^th century, we have started to move to a more advanced position regarding animal rights.  Today states are acknowledging animal cruelty more than the past, and states are passing harsher laws.  The government response is strong currently, because new questions are being asked.  Newer laws are based mostly on moral decisions, and it exemplifies the countries stance on the issue as a whole - It’s not tolerable to harass an animal.  States are creating new laws constantly that are progressive and specific, as there are new arguments to do so.  An example of one of these recent laws would be the law in California that bans the tail docking of cows.  California is the first state to ban this, and it has just been done in 2009.  California is among the most aggressive states to address animal rights, (Clemmitt). 

            A new idea that has been accepted by scientists’ has been the foundation for many of the modern arguments.  It has inspired policy makers to take into account the seriousness of animal cruelty whenever there is a new reason to make a law.  Recently we have understood that animals are much more intelligent than we have previously thought.  Everyone knows that their pets are smart for an animal, but they don’t think of them as having analytical brains, similar to humans; “They have preferences, make judgments, distinguish, decide, refrain: they think”, as Alexandra Horowitz put it, in an interpretation of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s philosophy, (Horowitz 253).  The same applies to animals on farms.  This idea suggests the uprising of specific laws since the late 1900’s.  These recent discoveries encourage law makers to be more concerning with how they take on new bills.  It’s the foundation with which new government laws are being passed, and it’s the current status of government action against animal cruelty.

The government can’t do everything though.  There will always be a few cases where a cold hearted person beats their pets.  There will always be homeless cats and dogs.  However, the government can be doing a better job still.  One may expect a more industrialized state like New York to be a progressive region.  However, just recently the government has exposed their ignorance in a report claiming that New York City is going to kill Geese, simply because they are overpopulated, (Brunswick).  There are many other solutions to this problem, and killing doesn’t seem to be the most humane answer.  A more rural setting may be a hotspot for animal cruelty, because farms have a host of problems.    In Florida and Iowa, there are new bills whose goals are to stop any pictures from being taken of farms, (More on Farm Animal).  The idea is for farmers to be more at peace and without intruders.  However, the intruders have a good incentive to take photographs; they want to expose the harmful methods of which animals are raised on farms.  The bills sound like a cover up for the farmers so they can maintain their practices.  The government may side with these farmers because of the economic value gained from raising animals this way.  Local events like these occur frequently.

            Working at ARF is about helping the lives of animals.  It’s amazing to go and see the community helping and adopting animals who were on the euthanize list at another shelter.  ARF is about much more than being a moral helper in the fight against animal cruelty.  During our economic unit in particular we discussed current events such as the financial crisis.  My community service is indirectly involved with the results of the crisis.  When people lose money, they realize they can’t afford their pets and they reluctantly turn them in.  Animals are unfortunately abused more often due to stressed out owners over their financial situation (Munro).  It’s a sad truth that not many people may realize.  The result is that more animals end up in shelters, and more animals need to be saved from being killed or abused.  ARF tries its best to save all the animals it can, but there have been more cases of animal cruelty at households lately because so many pets can’t be cared for by their owners.  At ARF it’s abundantly clear that they are trying to get more pets adopted so they can accept more animals from shelters now more than ever.

Part III: 

            Preventing animal cruelty and assuring animals have rights is a job that will probably never be finished.  Some day in the near future it’s possible we will have as many rights as our society can possibly give to animals.  That isn’t enough since there will always be farm animals who will be slaughtered for food.  Even if we give them a comfortable living condition, which is in progress now, they will always have to make a sacrifice.  Pets at homes may get more rights but they will often be locked up in cages, necessary for an owner, but debilitating for the animal.  There are of course many things the government is fixing now and many things they can fix.  State governments are always passing bills to allow better conditions for animals.  The most substantial thing the state governments can do is not treat animal cruelty as only a felony.  They need to treat animal cruelty as a crime equal to any human abuse.  If the government can make the public accountable for hurting an animal as much as they are for hurting a human, then animal cruelty will happen much less frequently.  The government should also completely abolish farms that force animals to live in a confined space since that is considered to be suppressing their free will.  As research shows, animals do think similarly to humans, and if the government can make animals have the same representation as humans do under the law, then that would be a triumph for morality.  It would psychologically make abusers think twice as well.

            I was taught at ARF that animals need enriching items and activities in their life to have their interests pursued.  I have also learned of how intellectually advanced animals are.  Animals may not be able to experience their natural rights in the world, if they aren’t being given the opportunity to fulfill their interests.  Owners of pets need to know that cats, dogs and even smaller mammals that are often considered pets have many interests.  To help pets, owners should investigate how they can stimulate their animals.  It’s not even a question of finance.  At ARF we used the most useless junk that one would never think could entertain an animal, and we made toys that would occupy a cat or dog for hours without human interaction.  This would be a solution for animals neglected at home.

 Neglecting an animal is the most common form of animal cruelty and it’s the overall idea at ARF.  They take neglected animals and care for them.  No government can support a person in their quest to help maintain a pet.  The community must participate in order to help neglected pets.  They can reduce the amount of animal cruelty in the community by not buying a pet they can’t afford to have.  That means a pet that would cost more time and money than the buyer has.  If someone does buy a pet that they can’t afford to own, the animal could end up in a shelter or on the streets.  Even worse, they have stimulated a demand for new pets to be made.  Animal breeders will create more animals than they can sell which creates overpopulation even more.  If someone does want to buy a pet, then ARF is the place to do it.  It doesn’t stimulate demand, and it literally would take another animal out of a shelter, which would allow another animal to fill the spot.  If everyone only bought the amount of pets they can afford, and if they bought adopted pets at ARF, they would not be encouraging more pets to be made and they would reduce how many helpless neglected animals there are.  This simple rule for buying pets would almost eliminate animal cruelty to pets.  ARF not only is a place to help animals who are victims of cruelty, but it is a place for the community to learn.  A simple workshop could educate the public on how they can fulfill their pets rights, and on how they can help the community reduce animal cruelty.