Causes and Effects of Animal Abuse: Mistreatment of Dogs

Statistics say that about 6.5 million companion animals such as dogs, cats, any sort of rodent are abused each day. Around 3.3 million of those are dogs while 3.2 million are cats and other animals. The devastating story of a pitbull named Rocky is just one of many examples of the abuse that happens. Rocky was a full time outside dog kept chained to an untrustworthy dog house. He was used as a burglar alarm and was never given any attention that every animal should get. Rocky is just one story out of 6.5 million every single day.

Throughout this paper, I’m writing about animal abuse and cruelty to companion animals, and I’m going to prove that pitbulls are the most mistreated animal compared to all others. The kind of people that abuse animals often have existing violent and abusive behavior either towards their families or to people in general. Hoarding behavior also victimizes and has a tendency to neglect animals as well. In families, if one member of that family witnesses this violent act either towards their house pet or their other family members, it potentially makes them 3x more likely to grow up and want to abuse animals too.

For instance, Jeffrey Dahmer started off killing and torturing animals. When he was four years old, he started his fascination with animal carcasses and bones. He began collecting the remains of roadkill he had found in ditches or by the road, and he would start preserving their cut up pieces and would even masturbate to them. Just as Dahmer grew up killing animals and eventually killing people, it’s also a possibility that another situation similar to Dahmer’s case could happen to another child as well. Domestic violence directed towards animals can cause psychological problems for children if they are exposed to it.

These psychological problems can include anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, or other side effects it may cause. Animal torture is one of three adolescent behaviors called “homicidal triad.” Homicidal triad is when one has violent tendencies along with serial offenses. 64.5% of dogs are abused compared to all other types of companion animal. Not only does this abuse affect the children of the household, but especially the animal it’s happening to. The types of dog abuse physically and mentally scarring them. Verbal and physical punishment is when one continuously yells and hits them without even blinking about it. Physically restraining is when one ties a dog up with a very tight and short rope or a heavy chain. Rejecting and socially isolating a dog is when one does not care for a dogs needs for attention/affection and keeps them from having any sort of human contact. Neglecting and over-pressuring a dog past their abilities and failing to take care of them properly such as grooming, feeding, and attention.

Terrorizing and deliberately inflicting pain and stress onto a dog. Physical pain on a dog is more likely to be short term effects, but they cause long term mental issues. These issues include depression, PTSD, trust issues, and anxiety. Dogs that have been beaten have mental effects related to fear and depression. They become distrustful and withdraw from people. They could get hostile and vicious towards people. Dogs will slowly become more and more depressed and start to act defeated, reclusive, quiet and not wanting to play anymore. They will become terrified to explore their surroundings.

Isolated dogs have mental effects related to abandonment and anxiety. These dogs are afraid of being left alone or they get overly attached to his or her rescuer. They suffer from severe separation anxiety or they are completely terrified of people from not being able to interact with them. IATC is intentional animal torture and abuse. It’s used to coerce, control and intimidate women and/or children to be silent about domestic violence that may be occuring. Some examples of IATC may include a religious ritual sacrifice, an “artistic” sacrifice, psychological disorders, or sexually paraphilic disorders. For instance, some religions such as Christianity, Islamic and Judaism will have animal sacrifices. They may not be used now in modern times as much, but people still do exactly what they believe they should do such as something as bizarre as a blood ritual. 46 out of 50 states consider it a felony to abuse animals while the other states still count it as a misdemeanor. Most laws against animal cruelty are only to cases like aggravated cruelty, torture or cruelty to companion animals.

The list of the top ten dogs that are abused the least to the most start with the American bulldog. These wildly adorable dogs have a total number of approximately 600 in shelters around the country right now because they look similar to the American pitbull terrier. They get discriminated due to the similar looks to the pitbull because people think they are “dangerous.” Some may end up becoming violent because they get mistreated or they are kept away from society without learning how to interact with people. Number 9 on the list is the Australian cattle dog. Their numbers in the shelters around the country are closer to around 700. Their high energy makes them out to be too much to handle and they would be sent to a shelter. Without training they can be too energetic and have to take a lot of mental stimulation to keep up with them. The beagle has about 1,000 of them in shelters in the country because of their high stubbornness. This breed is highly known for their hunting skills but by being stubborn it turns them into poor hunting dogs. Poor hunting dogs tend to get abandoned by their companion or they run away.

When one owns a beagle they are extremely difficult to train so people struggle to keep them around. The 7th breed is a boxer because they always end up with severe cancers and health problems that make them expensive to own. There are about 1,100 in shelters waiting to be adopted. They take up a lot of time to keep them busy because they have short attention spans. Boxers will very quickly get destructive if they are not properly taken care. The dachshund has close to 1,150 in shelters. The reason for this is because they are very stubborn and it can be quite difficult to train them. Most families that own them have to get rid of them because they have kids and this breed is not very toddler friendly and may get aggressive. They are another breed that might get expensive to own as well because of their long spines that will potentially cause many problems.

The 5th breed on the list is the American Staffordshire terrier and they have approximately 1,150 dogs in the shelters. Just like the bulldog, they are discriminated because people believe they are related to the pitbull. The big reason why they may be put into a shelter is because they can get aggressive with other canines. They are also another breed added to the stubborn list because it makes them difficult to train, so it discourages the owners and drives them to give them to a shelter. The German shepherd has close to 1,400 put in shelters because without proper training, it can lead into aggression towards everything. Although they are a huge part in the US armed forces and law enforcement departments, they can possibly be very dangerous if they are overwhelmed especially without good training. The top third breed put into shelters is the Labrador retriever. They have about 3,600 in shelters around the country because their health issues can put people into dept. They are the most popular dog breed as of 2015. Although they are so popular, their high energy levels turns people away because they can be destructive.

The amount of fur that they shed can be more than likely to annoy people and make them not want the dog anymore. The 2nd breed is the chihuahua with about 3,800 in shelters. People would get rid of them because they are much more than just a purse dog. They require so much attention that some couldn't handle it and gave them up. Finally, the most dog put into shelters is the american pitbull terrier with around 5,500 without homes. They are very highly discriminated as dangerous dogs and in some states they are even banned to be owned. While the pitbull doesn’t instigate any fights, they are not known for turning one down when they are challenged. If this breed is not trained at a young age or taken care of the correct way, he will use his bulk to push anyone around to get his way because they are crazy stubborn.