When it comes to effective solutions to animal abuse, the best thing that can be done is to report any suspicion of animal cruelty to local law enforcement agencies. You can also report your observations to animal control agencies, taxpayer-funded animal shelters, and other humane animal protection organizations. One report is all it may take to be able to save the life of an animal who is at risk.
There are some other effective ways you can protect animals in addition to being proactive with reporting abuse when you see it. Which method could you implement today?
1. Teach children and others to respect animals.
How children treat animals comes from how the adults in their lives treat animals. The best way to teach children and others to respect animals is to show that respect in a personal way on a regular basis. Promote kindness and this will help others to do the same. There’s a practical purpose for this: children who abuse animals are likely to grow up to be cruel to other people as well.
2. Recognize the link between domestic abuse and animal abuse.
As many as 90% of the households which struggle with domestic abuse will also have animal abuse occur if a pet is owned. Some domestic abusers begin by abusing the pet before they move to being abusive to a spouse or their children. This is why reporting is so important. One phone call could be enough to help families be able to separate themselves from their abusers and finally get the help that they need.
3. Volunteer at local animal shelters.
Helping animals is another easy way to start preventing animal abuse. It’s easy to get started. Volunteer at your local shelter to reduce the work load on everyone on staff. Become an adoptive shelter pet parent. Talk to your shelter about providing a temporary home for animals who need time to recover as a foster family. If you can’t volunteer your time, perhaps volunteering some donations could help the animals in your local community find a forever home at some point.
4. Get active in local politics.
When laws and regulations are firm regarding animal abuse, it lessens the risk to everyone. Being active in politics allows you to affect change at the local and regional level. In the US, more than a dozen states have now made animal abuse a felony charge. If you don’t want to hold political office, then consider reviewing how your representatives vote on animal issues. If they aren’t supportive in a way that you agree, then vote them out of office on the next term.
The solutions to animal abuse which exist basically involve common sense. If you see something happen, then say something to someone in an authority position. Get active in your local community, open up your home to animals who may be in need, or contribute what you can to local efforts. Every animal saved is a life changed.
You can get involved today.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
