National Pet Month's Be the Change: Bringing Awareness to Prevention of Animal Cruelty


Please treat all animals humanely!
April is a busy month in the animal kingdom! While we are celebrating National Pet Month (isn’t every month Pet Month?) it also goes hand-in-hand with Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. With so many horrific stories of animal abuse that have been making the headlines lately, I thought today—Blog the Change Day—would be a good time to talk about good pet care and cruelty awareness. While the fact these atrocities are being brought to light, it’s just a sin that they are occurring at all.  

By now, most of us have heard about the story of Patrick, the miracle dog, who was starved to near death and then tossed out with the trash; the story of a so-called animal “activist” who was caught on film beating a dog with a club for allegedly digging holes and also dragged the poor dog around by a paw; the cat who was set on fire while alive; the 100 sled dogs who were “culled,”allegedly due to financial difficulties; the ex-race horses who were being starved due to financial setbacks; the K-9 police dog who was brutally stabbed in the line of duty, and the sad stories just continue on and on, each one more heartbreaking than the other. But what can we do about it? How can we initiate global change?

While we can’t all help every pet in need, what we all can do—as caring human beings—is be aware. If you see an animal in a dangerous situation or being abused, report it. Tell someone. If you can’t speak to the person inflicting the abuse, then report it to someone in an authoritative position who can help both the animal in distress as well as the owner: An animal control officer. A rescue agency. The local humane society. A policeman. A town councilperson. A reporter. A clergy member. Someone. Turning a blind eye because we don’t know what to do will never help these animals or the people who betray them. And abuse come in many shapes and forms—from the obviously starved animals to the visibly sick or injured ones to ones who receive no human interaction or attention.

Not to make any excuses, because in my opinion there is absolutely no excuse that warrants being cruel, but I will acknowledge that sometimes folks may find themselves in over their head and don’t know what to do or who to turn to for help and then react from that stress. They must be made aware that they are not alone. There are always people willing to help better the welfare of animals. I believe awareness is half the solution. If people who own pets find themselves in a bind, they need to know that there options. Starving, neglecting, abandoning, beating, and killing the animals are not options. If someone can no longer afford to feed, shelter, or care for their pet, sometimes just knowing where to turn or who to turn to is help in itself. 

So how do we help spread the word to help prevent animal cruelty? Education is key, and we can all be the educators and animal advocates. Check with your local vet offices, community bulletin boards, even the media to see if you can post a notice listing places and phone numbers folks can call for help, including various rescue groups, the local animal control office, local publications and radio stations, and even online resources for re-homing pets. If you have a social media account such as a blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc., post links and information there. The more we can all get the word out that there are people and places to help those who feel they have hit a dead end, the better it will be for the animals they can no longer care for.



If we all volunteer a little bit of time to bring awareness of good pet care and cruelty prevention to the forefront, then we may just save the life of an innocent furfriend. Since they can not speak, we need to be their voice. Let’s all “Be the Change for Animals” each and every day.

Blog the Change

Comments

  1. Excellent post! Such caring and compassionate words.

    I was not aware of some of those cruelty cases. Just horrid.

    It is so very important to inform communities of all the help available to pet owners. Knowledge! Education! Getting the word out! That is what saves lives.

    Thank you for getting the word out, and helping to educate people. :->

    K and Suka

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very, very well pawed. It doesn't make any sense how humans can be so cruel to such loving, amazing animals. Such a great video to help people be aware of all the good that can come from such horrible situations. Thank you.

    Love,
    Teddy Bear & Sierra

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're so right, that often people are not aware of alternatives - of help for their situation! If they were, there would certainly be much less of these stories. Great idea to spread the word, educate! Thanks for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a great post! It is true that all humans can do their part if just by being aware of a pet in an abusive situation and REPORTING it!
    Cairn cuddles, Oz

    ReplyDelete
  5. Powerful words and powerful videos, especially that second one! If only we all could do even some small thing to help, what a difference it would make.

    Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

    ReplyDelete
  6. Places like my doggie daycare have the idea. They allow any pet-related cause to place a flyer/poster or sign on their door. It's sort of like our pet news center, but I often find news of missing dogs, fundraisers and community resources there. It's a great service that takes little effort.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a wonderful, important and informative post!
    Great job spreading the word about this very important issue!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Excellent post! Great way to spread word of what is really happening and giving people a way to stop it. Lots of love, Holly and mom

    ReplyDelete
  9. You make a great point to speak up if you see some form of abuse. I tend to be more of the timid type. But it is not okay to see this and not take some sort of appropriate response to help that animal. Thanks for the post today.
    Peggy from
    BTC4Animals.com
    peggyfrezon.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is so important. It's always good to have a plan before something goes wrong. It makes asking for help and making the difference that much more effective and timely. Thanks so much for reminding us of this fact.

    Thanks for Blogging the Change!
    Kim from
    BtC4animals.com
    ThisOneWildLife.com
    BarkOutLoudWeekly.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great post! Thank you so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  12. It is so true that it is important for us to stand up and speak for animals. Sometimes it's uncomfortable... but it needs to be done. We're the only ones who will do it.

    Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for this post. One more tip - Don't forget how important your smartphone can be in this situation. If you see something, record it on your camera phone --- anything that might be able to be used as evidence is important to get down. Cell phones are terrific tools to fight abuse and neglect.

    ReplyDelete
  14. That was a great post! We won't tolerate that kind of thing if we know about it. Unfortunately all to often we all find out after the fact. We can and must put an end to this abuse. Humans like that should be spayed and neutered and not allowed to reproduce in the wild!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This isn't entirely related, but I just recently found out and it KIND of goes with your blog post...

    Apparently, Ellen DeGeneres saw a man abusing his dog on the street, and she went up to him and basically just said "OK, how much for you to give the dog to me?" and paid him to hand over the dog. She still has that very same dog. Obviously, we can't all afford to bribe people to hand over the animals they're abusing, but we CAN do something about it - speak up and report abuse.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Very well said. We need more awareness with some of the simple things before a situation gets worse. Prevention can help save lives.

    Great post!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great message, well said. Change starts with awareness.

    ReplyDelete
  18. GREAT message, Sibes! And yay to you for remembering to Blog the Change! We totally forgot, but thanks for being the change with this great post!

    The Road Dogs

    ReplyDelete
  19. My mom says that all the time to, if we all just did a little it sure would go a long way.

    ReplyDelete
  20. That's a great message. Thank you. The cases that befuddle me are the cases of benign neglect. The people who let their dogs roam, despite the incredible dangers to the dogs. I honestly don't know what to do about people like that after I've taken in their dogs multiple times and called the owners to come pick them up.

    But, that's a slightly different issue than the one that you're addressing. Thanks for this post.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a wonderful Blog the Change post, and a great reminder to be aware of ways we can help animals right in our own communities.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acupressure and Ice to Relieve Seizures and A #LiveGibStrong Epi-Tip

#PrayersForHarley - Dewclaw Tumor

The Rainbow Bridge Welcomes A New FurAngel - Buddy, the Christmas Husky - A Forever Symbol of Hope for Rescued Dogs

Fit For Our #FiveSibes Alpha Queen: Celebrating Harley's 14½ Birthday

Shave a Husky? Don't Do it!