Dog Abuse

Intro:

      If a dog is chained in a bad living environment, are you willing to give out your helping hands?  Dog abuse is not only a social issue, but also a controversial topic to discuss today. Dog can be a loyal,  lovable and protective house pet only if there is a strong bond build between the owner and the dog. Recently, there are reports on dog abuse and most of them talk about those irresponsible and bad dog owners. Being a responsible and caring dog owner at the same time isn't easy when the dog doesn't obey most of the command from the owner at the first place. A happy dog takes time and caring. In this civic engagement project, I am going to discuss about dog abuse with people nearby my apartment complex and see how they react to this social problem.

Research:
   
“Discipline isn't about showing a dog who's boss; it's about taking responsibility for a living creature you have brought into your world.” ―  Cesar Millan 
    
    Just like the professional dog trainer, Cesar Millan saying with the quote above. Having a pet dog isn't about being a domineering owner. It is more about the amount of time and caring you are willing to spend with your dog by the time you promise to have him or her as your pet as a responsible dog owner. However, some people aren't taking this opportunity properly by the time they have their own pet dogs. According to the article "Dog's Owners watched as her toenails got this long", a British couple were given a suspended sentence of owing any animals in the future with a fine of $370 for not taking their American Bull Dog, Jess properly. She was in a very bad and critical condition when the rescue workers come for the rescue. Jess's ears and skin were brutally infected and the pads on her feet were thickened to a point of growing horns, which made her can barely walk. Like the worker Heidi Cleaver who works for Royal Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals said, "I've never seen anything like the growths from pads on her feet, which would have been obvious to anyone." I don't think the British couple should own a dog at the beginning just because they don't give a good care for their dog in a proper manner as a basic requirement of owning a pet.

    Apart from responsibility, training is another important factors that dog owners should take into consideration because this will help to eliminate the chance of getting any unnecessary behavioral problem toward people and other dogs. But, there always exception where some dog owners tend to use a negative and physical command to punish his or her dog when it doesn't obey the rule. On the article "Woman charged after dog's mouth duct-taped shut", Katharine Lemansky, the dog owner was charged for one count of Class 1 Misdemeanor Cruelty to Animals after she posted a photo of her dog muzzled with duct tape for sixty seconds to discipline her dog in city of Cary. The police officer of Cary Police office department, Randall Rhyne has made a firm and convincing statement about this incidence ."Taping the dog's muzzle shut was a terrible decision on Ms.Lemansky's part, and charging her with animal cruelty under North Carolina law was the right thing to do." Although her dog doesn't injure, her act of disciplining her dog in this way is inappropriate.

     After I read up two articles regarding on dog owners who have abused their dogs violently and mentally,  I feel angry and unpleasant about how selfish and ridiculous can these two groups of dog owners can be. They don't take their initiatives to come up with a best solution to deal with their pet dogs and have them suffer. Having a pet is like making a promise and won't regret after. I really hope that there wouldn't be anymore articles on dog abuse because they should be loved unconditionally.   

Personal: 


   As a caring and loving dog owner, I want to make a voice for dogs who are treated unfairly and abuse brutally. The reason behind why I choose to this topic because I feel uncomfortable about this and it catches my attention. Also, I can't stress out enough on how those irresponsible dog owners pet their dogs like nothing. Having a dog as your pet is like a perfect marriage where you are willing to dedicate the time with your life-long companion(your pet dog) until the time comes to an end.

   Community members

Cherry Sin

"The issue of dog abuse is getting even more disturbing. I really hope that the government can does anything about it just because every single dogs should be loved!!"

Heather Hodson

"It hurts my heart to see dogs in abusive situations and I believe we should all do everything we can to prevent this from happening. We need to be their voice because they don't have one, and they have no power over the circumstances in which they are placed in."

WORKS CITED

Cotroneo, Christian. "Woman Charged After Dog's Mouth Duct-Taped Shut." The Dodo, 01 Dec. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2017. <https://www.thedodo.com/katie-brown-lemansky-dog-1485251412.html>

Cotroneo, Christian. "Dog's Owners Watched As Her Toenails Got This Long." The Dodo, 15 Dec. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2017. <https://www.thedodo.com/dog-nails-jess-consett-1490078651.html>