Animals Deserve Respect
A dog is severely beaten by two police
officers in Brooklyn, New York. By the shore of Lake Manawa, Iowa,
the tendons on all four legs of a horse are at least partially
severed, and its neck has a large gash. Vandals brutally beat Toby,
an elementary school's pet turtle, in Los Angeles, California. All
of these are cases of animal cruelty which seems to be occurring more
frequently than ever.
You may be asking yourself, "Is this
really important to me?" Although it is not the most pressing issue
facing us today, it is important. First of all, it is yet another
reminder of the declining moral standard. It shows the lack of
respect given to others' property and other living beings. In
addition, it could be your dog, Skipper, or you cat, Socks, that will
be abused next. What right does anyone have to hurt your
pet?
What reason could a person have for
abusing animals? Just for fun. Because I was bored. I don't like
animals. None of these is a valid excuse. First, animals don't
deserve cruel and unusual treatment if the animal belongs to someone
else, their property must also be respected. Animals are not equal
to humans and shouldn't be treated like they are; however, that does
not give humans the right to abuse them.
Stacey Mahony