And there are people in our society that believe animal abuse, dog fighting and other acts of cruelty are just plain wrong.  We’re not just a select minority.  Sure, we’re more outspoken on the subject, but if more people in the community would speak up and stand up for animals, it might help.  If everyone would just realize that animal cruelty is a sign of other problems, more people might report it and fight against it.

We are all animals of God’s creation-whether a dog, cat, horse or human. There is no sense in this abuse-animal or otherwise.

Until people in the community speak up and report cruelty, it will go undetected.  Contact the police, the local SPCA, the media or report it on this site.  Just report it.  So many other violent crimes are associated with animal cruelty.  It’s not just “animal” abuse, it is symptomatic of other mental disturbances.

If someone reading this post knows of animal cruelty or abuse or neglect, please post here. Reports can be made anonymously, and either members of the media or those who are reading these posts will take action. We can only promise that we will do our best to try to get the authorities to investigate.
Rewards are being offered in several on-going abuse cases. People are willing to take a stand and take action. IF you know of something, please report it.

I have noticed the number of stories on animal abuse increasing also. I think WKRG is doing a good thing by reporting these stories. Too many times people become complacent and think that dog-fighting or other forms of animal cruelty can’t or don’t happen where they live, but it is not a problem isolated to any one geographical area. Anytime someone suspects that dog-fighting or other animal cruelty or neglect is going on, they need to report it. I don’t even think they have to give their name. But it will hopefully get someone to investigate the situation and maybe save a life. It could save an animals life or even another persons life as often animal cruelty is associated with other violent crimes.

The number of animal torture and abuse cases that have made recent headlines will hopefully change our community’s way of thinking.  I agree with some of the other posts on this site.  Being an “activist” simply means taking a supportive stand against cruelty.  It does not mean running around blowing up research labs or setting fire to steakhouses.  No more than being a child right’s activist implies bombing abortion clinics.  People who have genuine concern for the welfare of animals are NOT the crazy ones.  It is the people who abuse them that are mentally ill.  I hope that citizens in our area continue to report abuse cases.  It is the only way the system is ever going to improve.  And as for dog fighting - if someone houses 6, 8 10 or more pit bulls, I have to ask myself why.  Particularly, when they’re not house pets and they’re chained to trees and clotheslines.  That’s a pretty good indication that something criminal is going on.  Law enforcement officials just need to be more proactive in these investigations and make the cases stick.  A little fine is not going to deter these criminals.  It must be prosecuted and they must do jail time.

I hope change does come. This system has been ineffective for far too long. Not only do we need the laws to be enforced and abusers prosecuted, but there needs to be some form of community education. In certain communities, it is a given that “you mind your own business.” Fear of retaliation is tremendous. Reports can be made anonymously, from my understanding. Some people may not recognize the signs of abuse and therefore not report it-for instance I was recently at the feed store and this guy mentioned three horses by him that were looking poor. I asked him if he had reported it and he said no, he was trying to bring them back up on his own. I did encourage him to report it , because it may be more than just needing some extra food, they may need vet care. Unfortunately, I did not get his name or number so I could follow back up, but I’m sure this is not the first case of good samaritan ignorance.

I saw the same article regarding the lady who had talked to her Sunday school class and their insight on the Micheal Vick case. I too felt that her saying she wasn’t an animal activist was somewhat disturbing. You can be an activist with out being an extremist. The way activist was portrayed in the article was negative and demeaning, like everyone who stands up and cares for animals is out throwing blood on people who eat meat or wear furs. You can care about animals and want to see cruelty stopped without being radical. You can be an activist just by being ACTIVE in helping to stop the abuse by calling in cruelty reports, following up on those reports called in and letting your voice be heard.

Local authorities rely on those who witness and suspect animal abuse to report it. But the reporting party needs to be willing to stand up in court and testify to what they witnessed. Law officers can’t make up what they think happened.

An additional problem is that when someone is willing to take a stand and makes a report--nothing is done. But I have a real sense this is about to change. Once the community makes it clear that the citizens will not stand for animal abuse, then the cruelty investigators, the law officers, the elected officials, and the court system will begin to punish the offenders. But the action first has to come from the voters and the citizens. Call in, report abuse, make a big stink until someone investigates the situation. If we all take action, we can make a difference.
And by the way, the first humane society was organized to protect children from unfair labor laws and abuse. Protecting animals came second. People who love animals and respect them are generally people who love and respect all other creatures--including humans.

The problem with dog-fighting though, is even if all the “signs” are there, it is up to the authorities, mainly minimally trained “cruelty investigators” to decide if it warrants prosecution. On Pet-abuse.com, one case of dog-fighting in Mobile went before a judge, but the person was not convicted because they said the “dogs fought on their own.” I’m not saying that this doesn’t truly happen, but when known aggressive breeds like pit bulls are seen fighting, it looks to me like further investigation needs to be done. However, it seems there is very limited investigative ability here. On the same website, it shows national animal abuse reports and dog-fighting is one of the most frequently reported(and in other areas, convicted) animal crimes listed. It is sad that we do not have tougher investigations and prosecutions.