Animal abuse and abandonment is a serious problem in the United States. Researchers say, “The most shocking number of cruelty cases reported…is only the tip of the iceberg. Most cases are never reported, and most animal suffering goes unrecognized and unabated…1,880 cruelty cases reported in the media in 2007.” Most people get animals for their children, for birthdays and holidays. When somebody gets a new puppy, they have to teach the pup to behave, or the puppy could become a huge problem. People that abuse or abandon animals should be put in prison for many reasons. For instance, people invest in pets because they assume that they would be fun to have around. Alfred A. Montapert once said, “Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to.” In most cases, individuals do not realize …show more content…
Individuals may start abusing animals. Then what will they do next? Will that abuse turn into domestic violence? Could an animal abuser turn out to be a murderer? When animals are being abused, they cannot stand up for themselves. Animals depend on humans to take excellent care of them. In some cases, the pets can defend themselves, but not against everything that comes their way. Furthermore, individuals that abuse their pets may one day abandon them. The pet owner could wound the animal badly, almost to the point of death, and just decide to leave him or her behind. These people will appear to be heartless to other pet owners in their community. Individuals like this want to make the animal somebody else’s problem. Another reason why somebody would abandon their pets would be because they did not have the responsibility or finances to take care of that pet. When individuals get pets, they do not realize how much it costs to take their pet to a veterinary