Animal Abuse Responses

Cruelty to animals seems to many people to represent an unspeakable atrocity. We focus for the most part on the quality of life, or lack of it, borne by the animals that become companions to people, who depend upon the good qualities that reside within human nature to respect the burdens that come with one animal dominating and controlling another, as people do with their pets. Domestic animals are completely dependent upon their human owners.

The quality of life that they are permitted to live through the humane attention of those who claim to own them reflects the quality of the human being to whom they become attached. A sensitive and caring person will accord to his or her companion animal care and attention one would toward another human being. Those who inflict pain and suffering on animals can rightfully be regarded as dregs of society.

Vicious and violent criminal acts are meted out to animals by those who claim to own them, and who feel it is their right to behave toward those animals who trust them, however they wish. There are no real laws in protection of animals with any kind of teeth that would make violators of animals' trust and well-being think twice before regarding an animal as 'property' to be disposed of as they wish.

Human conduct toward animals is that of the regard of the disposable. When an animal that someone has undertaken to care for becomes a nuisance their needs are neglected, they are abandoned and society attempts to pick up the sorry pieces through adoptions. Neglect and violence experienced by trusting animals reflects poorly on all of us.

So when the plight of individual afflicted animals who have been tortured and killed by their owners or by others comes to public light and animal defenders make an effort to alert the public to these dreadful abuses, they are demonstrating their humanity. If we cannot defend the rights of animals other than ourselves to live healthy and cared-for lives, we diminish our humanity.

For groups representing the victims of child abuse or sexual abuse to raise a hue and cry about values, denouncing animal defenders who demonstrate on behalf of abused companion pets, claiming them to be less concerned about humans than they are about animals, misses the point entirely. If we cannot extend sympathy and a will to protect animals, it's unlikely we would care to extend the same to humans.

This reflects one of the weakest links in society, the dependence of helpless animals on the good will of those who 'own' them, and feel free to dispense violence against them because of their purported ownership. This is not a private issue of ownership. This is a very public issue of the rights to humane existence of animals other than humans.

That people will defend the rights of animals does not mean they are uncaring of the rights of children and women. We have ample human resources to represent the interests of all of society's abused and vulnerable.