draft
Responsibilities
and Priorities: Horse Slaughter is not the answer
As he
stands there in a heap of disarray and mounds of his own urine and feces, his
legs and hooves are in pain. His hooves have grown past the point of
comfortable and they have chipped and cracked from the shoes that were left on
them, the nails have loosened and left holes.
He has gotten thrush and the pain goes up into his legs from the damage
of the spreading of the hoof. As he is
slumped into the small shed that has been his home for months, the wood that
has built this shelter has become his food. He can barely move and cannot
stretch out his body. His hair has become a mess of urine, feces, and dirt with
tangles and mats of mass and stench. The
bones that make up this skeleton, one could count and see every inch. His head
hangs low and he doesn’t move when approached, he is barely breathing. He has
been left to fend for himself and stalled in a six by ten foot storage shed. He
has no access to water or food and has not been cared for in months.
Quick on
the Draw, was a beautiful quarter horse that raced and showed for the most prestiguise
and elite humans around. He slowed in his age and was sold to a place that was supposed
to be his retirement home. As things happened he was traded and sold and traded
again. Now he has been left alone. He
has never known the wild life and has always been spoiled by his owner. He was bathed by his human and fed grain
twice a day. The hay was fresh and the grass was without weeds when he was on
the pasture. His coat was taken care of and brushed regularly; his feet were
groomed every six weeks and cleaned daily. His mane was combed and braided for
every show, while his tail was cleaned and trimmed. He didn’t have a hair out
of place ever. He won ribbons and
trophies everywhere he went.
Where
did he go wrong? What happened to his life? What did he do to deserve this?
Will it ever end? These are questions that are going thru his head and along
with a million other ones. He did nothing wrong and he doesn’t deserve to live
like this. He did his part in winning everything he could. He stood tall when
he was asked to and he ran fast when he was told to. He has become a victim of
animal neglect and abuse.
Animals feel pain and fear like we do, but
they are helpless victims. Abuse causes these innocent animals to endure so
much pain, suffering, and loneliness, it can also cause an animal to become
depressed, timid, or even aggressive. Every day there are numerous amounts of
calls that pour into the shelters and humane societies across the United
States. Most of these calls are for cats and dogs, they get the occasional call
for an odd animal (birds, hamsters, rabbits, snakes). Not very often do they
get a call for a farm animal (cows, pigs, goats, horses, chickens). This is due
to humans not knowing what the treatment for these animals are, so lack of
knowledge is the problem.
Basic animal care is the
same for any animal. Fresh water, good food and a safe environment to live in,
humans claim they don’t know. I guess it’s easier to ignore a situation if you
claim not to know anything about it. It’s not real complicated if you wouldn’t
want to live in the situation or don’t like the care that is provided or lack
of care then question it. Nine times out of ten the owner isn’t aware of what
they are doing either. If the owner is aware of what they are doing and don’t
do anything to change it then it is considered neglect or abuse. This is punishable
by law, also if you are aware of this and don’t report it, that makes you part
of the problem. In my book you are just as much at fault.
“Neglect is far
and away the most common issue we handle. Neglect involves a wide scope of
situations. Owner ignorance is the leading cause of horse neglect. Financial
setbacks are another. Apathy is a third cause and chemical dependency is yet
another,” according to The Kubrick Theme blog.
When
statistics show that the basic issue is just ignorance, then we try to teach
the proper way. Some just can’t be taught, and unlike teaching a math class
this really isn’t a subject that is offered in school. This is something that
is taught at home and if they don’t learn it at home they just don’t learn it.
Human
violence toward animals crosses all racial and socio-economic lines and reaches
from coast to coast, according to the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, which sponsors April as prevention of animal cruelty month
to educate Americans about this social problem. Harming
an animal is like hurting a small child. It not acceptable! An animal can’t
help its self any more than a small child can. Dealing with an animal takes
patience and time. We are a self fulfilling nation therefore just go out and
buy whatever we want. We don’t take the time to learn anything about it.
“There
has been much debate about whether we have ethical obligations that transcend
our species. It is time America stops making animal cruelty a subjective
discussion and focuses on the fact that animals count and animal cruelty is
wrong,” stated by Laura Maloney. “Unfortunately, animal cruelty has a very
broad definition and is open to wide interpretation. There is no governmental
infrastructure to measure it or federal laws to prevent it. State definitions
of animal cruelty vary, leading to a patchwork of state laws. While
high-profile acts of cruelty command much attention, cruelty to animals is more
widespread than most people realize or can even adequately be measured. Each
year, while many people witness and report acts of cruelty, thousands of cases
go unreported. And the victims--the animals--suffer alone without a voice to
speak out against the perpetrators.”
I’m not
the only person that feels that animal cruelty is unforgivable. Organizations
have been in place since the late 1800’s. We have the local humane society, the
ASPCA, and PETA. Although I don’t agree with every little detail of each
organization, they all have the same motive. To be the voice for those animals
who cannot speak. To better their welfare and to take care of them if no one
else will, to stand up for their rights. If they’re not going to be taken care
of properly then someone else needs to be there to stand up for them.
“Animal
cruelty laws vary from state to state, and the agency responsible for
investigating cases can vary from county to county. Cruelty can range from
simple neglect--failure to provide food, water, shelter or necessary medical
care--to intentional abuse, torture or death. Violence against animals also can
be part of a pattern of violence against people,” Alex Cukan noted.
"There's often
surprise and disbelief that neglecting to feed an animal is a crime in most
states," said Valerie Angeli, ASPCA director of public information and
special projects. "As is letting an animal on the street to fend for
itself."
As you can guess the laws
are different all over. This is also part of the problem. We need more of a
unified law against animal cruelty. In one state you can get a probationary
period for abuse/ neglect of an animal, in another you can get up to two years
in prison. I’m apauled by the disrespect of the cases at hand. These are real
animals and should be treated like real charges. An animals welfare and their
life is at stake here. Letting someone of easy doesn’t guarantee that they
learned their lesson or that they won’t do it again. If they did it to a child,
they wouldn’t return the child to them.
I’m not saying that every case is this bad but I do believe that they should
treat it more serious.
Animal abuse and neglect is
a very serious issue. It can be avoided by preparing for the care before the
purchase. Do your homework before not
after the fact. If your not sure if an animal is being taken care of correctly,
inquire about the care of the animal to a professional or simply go online.
(This is just a start to my
paper….rough draft)
Cukan,
Alex. "Preventing Animal Cruelty." UPI. 07 Apr 2003: n.p. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Nov 2013.
Maloney, Laura. "Animal Cruelty Hard to
Spot, Harder to Find." USA TODAY. 03 Sep 2009: D.7. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 28 Nov 2013
