*still work in progress* Petcare Outline
Pet Care Licenses
(image source)
When people generally think of animal cruelty or abuse, they usually think of horrific acts of physical violence like dog fighting, puppy mills, or animal torture. However, statistics from almost every pet abuse database worldwide show that the most common cases of animal cruelty are not of vicious killings or animal maiming as one might expect from newspaper headlines and the media, but more often a less-obvious and overlooked form of cruelty: abandonment and neglect. In many of these cases, pet owners unknowingly provide inadequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care to animals under their responsibility (Pet-Abuse.org). Unfortunately, these forms of indirect animal abuse occur with surprising frequency and devastating consequences throughout the United States.
Every year, thousands of bunnies are euthanized after pet owners buy the cute furry animals on impulse around Easter and later struggle to properly care for their needs, or worse, get bored and forget about them entirely. According to the Connecticut 3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue, over 90% of rabbits purchased around Easter die before their first birthday from unintentional neglect due to improper diet, mishandling, or unrecognized illness (Stafford). Many others end up either being “freed” outdoors – where expected survival is less than three days due to predators and exposure – or else squished into a small cage in the back of a basement or garage with their only contact to the outside world with their owners at meal times. Moreover, statistics show that even with meeting the basic necessities to life of food, water, and shelter, neglected pets have significantly reduced life spans from lack of care and attention (Stafford). Happy, contented bunnies can live up to 9 to 12 years (TheBunnyBasics.com), but these Easter-impulse bunnies often don’t even make it past year one.
One of the reasons why animal neglect and abandonment are so common within the United States is because too often people see a cute animal at the pet store and decide to bring them home without fully considering the commitment and responsibilities of being a good pet owner. Often, neglected animals are first purchased as companions but are later forgotten or mistreated as people lose interest or have no understanding of how to handle a pet. One user on Yahoo Voices even had to the nerve to complain that her dog “expects” to be taken on walks even on the weekends and vacations and that “it’s just a constant chore having a dog.” Yet another woman in Kansas unfeelingly dumped her cat outside with a bag of cat food on the driveway before loading her kids in the car and driving away for vacation for over a week. Releasing domesticated animals into the wild with nothing more than kitty kibble is unacceptable abandonment behavior. Such heartless and thoughtless owners have no business owning pets. As a result, every year, over a quarter million animals throughout the country are neglected and abused. Many more cases go unreported (Pet-Abuse.org).
In many other cases, animal neglect and abandonment occur because many people have no idea that what they are doing is wrong. For instance, most reasonable pet owners would not lock their dogs in an oven, but over 66% of dog owners surveyed admitted that they have left or seen pets unattended in overheated cars while going shopping or running errands and out of those, only a third intervened (Hubbard). Similarly passive responses were found in the What Would You Do? ABC series where people’s responses were observed after seeing a dog trapped in a hot car (ABC News). This negligence on the part of the owner can be fatal for an animal, especially since animals can receive brain damage or even die from heat stroke within 15 minutes and studies conducted by the Animal Protection Institute have shown that hot cars can easily reach temperatures of over 100 degrees on a normal day just 70 degrees outdoors (PETA.org). Many other pet owners leave their dogs outside in the winter for hours, not realizing that doing so subjects them to a great risk for frostbite, pneumonia, and hypothermia (Gallegos).
Many pet owners unintentionally cause harm to their pets by improper care or failing to meet living conditions such as access to sanitation, exercise, and veterinary attention. Although the severity and incidence of animal neglect and abandonment are often underestimated, the consequences of inadequate care are often just as devastating as direct physical abuse when prolonged, as in the case of animal hoarding. For instance, many animal hoarders adopt dozens of strays and pets from local animal shelters with the intention of saving them (Gee). However, these individuals are usually overwhelmed by the sheer number of pets to look after and inadvertently cause harm to the animals by being unable to care for all of their basic needs, resulting in cramped, unsanitary living conditions and the slow starvation of the animals they are trying to help (Gee). Increased knowledge of basic pet living conditions as well as the restrictions placed on pet ownership may help curb such instances of inadvertent pet abuse.
Animals suffer because of this common conception that animals are just property to be taken care of only when it’s convenient and then abandoned or ignored when they become too much trouble. People should understand that being a pet owner is a full-time responsibility that you commit to for life, not just when it is convenient. For this reason, animal cruelty may be significantly reduced by federal legislation requiring people to obtain a pet ownership permit before they are able to own or purchase a pet from shelters or stores. In order to reduce the incidence of animal neglect as well as other forms of animal cruelty, this government-regulated pet permit approval could be granted after first requiring prospective pet owners to pass a background check and meet a set of specified criteria and pet ownership knowledge. This stipulation would ensure that people in general are better pet owners and that each pet would be able to find a home where they are able to be properly cared for.
Permit distribution and regulation could be directed by a government agency such as the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or even non-profit organizations that are committed to animal welfare such as the SPCA or the PETA. Each county could have pet ownership testing centers that would screen prospective pet owners and administer the pet permit qualification exams. Before anyone can be approved for a permit, a background check would be done to ensure that the individual has had no previous record of animal cruelty or related crimes. Additionally, different levels or classifications of pet permits could be distributed for species requiring greater fragile care such as exotic species of turtles. Many of the most successful animal shelters today incorporate strong education and awareness programs to advocate the proper treatment of adopted pets. For example, the highly successful Glendale Humane Society in California requires mandatory training sessions for the prospective pet owner before they are allowed to bring the pet home. With the institution of pet care permits, accompanying pet care classes could be offered. Additionally, the written exam could test for things like healthy body conditions and nutrition so that owners know what to feed their pets and when to bring their pet to the veterinarian. General knowledge such as the Purina Body Condition System chart, which includes descriptions for emaciated, underweight, ideal, overweight, and obese body conditions can be used to help pet owners determine whether their pet’s appearance is healthy. The person’s ability to meet the basics like food, shelter, sanitation, and proper veterinary care could also potentially be included in the criteria for obtaining individual pet ownership permits. In addition to providing the necessities of adequate food, water, and shelter, pet owners would also be held accountable for the general health and well-being of animals under their responsibility.
In a country where gun laws regulate the distribution of firearms and state-run transportation centers regulate the distribution of driver licenses, the implementation of pet ownership permits to prevent further animal cruelty is a plausible and necessary course of action. PennDOT, or the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, awards learning permits and driver licenses only after individuals first pass a written exam and a road test to demonstrate his or her capability of being a safe and reasonable driver. Similarly, a written exam taken at an animal rights center could be used to ensure that individuals are only able to adopt pets after proving their capability of being a caring and responsible pet owner. Moreover, like background checks before gun purchases, restrictions could be placed so that people with a history of animal abuse are prohibited from owning pets.
While it may be argued that requiring pet care permits would be logistically difficult to implement, the current prevalence of animal cruelty and neglect throughout the country necessitate such legislative measures. Moreover, the introduction of a pet permit is a natural progression in animal welfare legislation. Several stepping stones within the protection of animal rights in the past have demonstrated the feasibility and widespread impact of such legislative change. For instance, prior to the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, animals were left largely unprotected and subject to abuse from many businesses and dealers. The Animal Welfare Act was the first federal law to set standards for animal care regulations such as adequate feeding and watering as well as humane handling, shelter, sanitation, and veterinary care (USDA.gov). Today, the AWA requires all businesses involved with animal transportation, sale, experimentation, or public display to be licensed or registered with the USDA. Moreover, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service branch of the USDA makes periodic visits to all locations where animals are held to see that the Federal animal care regulations and standards are followed. If an animal dealer or business fails to meet Federal animal care regulations and standards, their licenses can be revoked and their businesses can be shut down (USDA.gov). Meanwhile, a few cities in America and all of Canada require dog licenses to verify that a dog has received its immunizations in order for people to be able to legally own dogs. Failure to license your dog results in a monetary fine (USDA.gov).
Additionally, in past court cases dealing with animal cruelty, judges have been able to ban animal abusers from being pet owners for either an extended period of time or thereafter in the future. For example, a woman in Scotland was banned from owning dogs after failing to seek veterinary attention for her Staffordshire bull terrier who suffered from a painful but treatable skin condition and had to be euthanized after the disease progressed too far (BBC News). In America, an animal abuser in California was prohibited from owning any type of pet for life (LATimes). Meanwhile, Michael Vick, the abusive quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, was banned from owning any animals for the duration of his probation after being prosecuted for dogfighting (LATimes).
The institution of pet ownership permits is a necessary course of action to prevent further animal cruelty. All acts of animal cruelty, whether intentional or unintentional, cause unnecessary suffering to animals. Moreover, unintentional animal cruelty is entirely preventable and resolvable through education of proper pet care. The implementation of a pet ownership permit regulated by the government would be a necessary and feasible course of action to prevent both intentional and unintentional animal cruelty in the future.
Works Cited
“Animal Abuse Statistics.” Pet-Abuse.Com. N.p., 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. <http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/cruelty_database/statistics.php>.
“Animal Welfare: AWA Licensing and Registration.” USDA.gov. United States Department of Agriculture, 10 Nov. 2009. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. <http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/licensing.shtml>.
“Companion Animals.” USDA.gov. United States Department of Agriculture, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. <http://awic.nal.usda.gov/companion-animals>.
“Dogs in Hot Cars.” PETA.org. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.peta.org/issues/companion-animals/dog-hot-car.aspx>.
“Dog Left in a Car: What Would You Do?” ABC News. ABC News Network, 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/video/dog-left-car-6800375>.
Gallegos, Alicia. “Animal neglect cases climb.” The South Bend tribune. 24 Jan 2008: A.1. Tribune Print. Co. 22 Mar 2013.
Gee, Michelle. “Unintentional Cruelty.” Examiner.com. Examiner.com, 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.examiner.com/article/unintentional-cruelty>.
“Glendale Humane Society.” Glendale Humane Society. Glendale Humane Society, 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.glendalehumane.org/>.
“Hamilton Woman’s Dog Cruelty Ban Welcomed.” BBC News. BBC, 26 May 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-13565026>.
Hubbard, Olivia. “Warning over Leaving Dogs in Cars.” Times of Malta. Times of Malta, 29 June 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120629/motoring/warning-over-leaving-dogs-in-cars.426512>.
“Man Who Killed Dog with Hammer Banned from Owning Pets.” LATimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. <http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/10/no-contest-hammer-death-of-dog.html>.
“Rabbit Facts.” TheBunnyBasics.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.thebunnybasics.com/bb_rabbitfacts.html>.
Stafford, Scott. “Rethink that bunny buy: Easter impulse pets are ill advised.” The Berkshire eagle. 02 Apr 2010. Web. 22 Mar 2013. <http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_14805338>
“Report Animal Cruelty : The Humane Society of the United States.” Humanesociety.org. The Humane Society of the United States, 22 Aug. 2008. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. <http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/abuse_neglect/tips/cruelty_action.html>.
“What Class of Driver’s License Do You Need?” PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/driverLicensePhotoIDCenter/license_classes.shtml.