Pet Action Group | Humane Education

Humane Education

Why do people abuse animals?

We have all seen news headlines such as "Dog raped by man", "Husky's head cut off by owner", "Dog strangled to death", "Cat drowned by owners", Dogs/cats left without food or water for days". And so the sickening list continues...

We automatically ask ourselves the question - Why do people do this?

There are three main reasons:

First Reason

Most people who abuse animals do not do it on purpose. They hurt animals because they do not think/realise that what they are doing is cruel. For example, some people do not realise which kinds of shelter different animals need. They may keep a dog in their yard with a dog house that gets flooded with water each time it rains or they keep their dog on a short chain all the time. This kind of abuse is taking place because of pure ignorance. Most people who fall in this category most probably followed the example of their parents. They saw their parents tie up their dog in the backyard. The dog's only purpose is to protect them from burglaries, etc. There is no love or respect for the animal and it is seen as just an object.

Dog's living conditions
before

This dog did not have proper shelter. The owner was told that the shelter was not sufficient
(picture on the left). When we went back there a week later we found this (picture on the right). What a great improvement ! That is what humane education is all about - educating pet
owners on how to take care of their pets.
How can a dog that is tied up protect you?

Other people are cruel because they do not pay attention. For example, someone might forget to give their cat water for a few days or leave their dog in a car on a hot day with the windows rolled up. Often these people know better but they either forget or do not care enough to pay attention.

Since most people who abuse animals fall in this category, they can be helped with basic education so that they can learn and understand that what they are doing to their animals are wrong.

Second Reason

The next group of animal abusers do it on purpose, but do not keep on doing it for a long period of time. For example, a group of kids may decide to throw rocks at a nest of baby birds they happened to come across, or they may hurt a stray dog/cat in their neighbourhood. These kind of animal abusers are usually young and they hurt animals because they do not think or they cannot stand up to their friends. They mainly abuse animals because of peer pressure.

Sometime they are mad at someone else (like their parents) and take out their anger on an innocent dog/cat by kicking the dog/cat because they cannot kick their parents. Or they may think that it is fun to watch an animal run away scared without really thinking about how the animal feels.

The ones who are giving in to peer pressure might be trying to show off to their friends or they may be with a group of friends and try to impress them by hurting an animal. They go along with what everyone else is doing.

This kind of abuse by intentionally hurting animals should be seen in a serious light. These people, however, usually do not hurt animals more than a few times. They learn to think about how others feel and they learn to stand up for themselves. This group can also be helped through education and support.

Third Reason

The last group of people who hurt animals are the worst. These are people intentionally hurt animals because they enjoy hurting things and it makes them feel powerful. They choose to hurt animals because animals are more helpless than people. Why do these people hurt animals? There are different reasons. A lot of them want to take control over others and they will hurt an animal because they think this means they control the animal. Or they may hurt the animal to control another person. For example, a husband may hurt the family pet to show his wife what he could do to her if she does not obey his commands.

Some people simply enjoy pain and violence, like your typical sociopaths. People who fall in this category usually started abusing animals when they were children and often abuse/ murder people in their adulthood. Most serial killers started off by abusing animals. Most of these people suffer from serious pshychological problems that will probably not go away on its own. They often need the help of a licensed professional, like a psychologist. We are not 100% sure why people turn out like this, but if you dig a bit deeper you will often find that most of these people had abusive childhoods. Without help, the psychological problems these people have can haunt them their whole lives.

If you know anyone who you think may be like this, you should not approach them by yourself. Talk a trusted adult and let him/her find someone to help this person.

The link between animal abuse and human violence (domestic violence)

Research has shown that there is a link between animal abuse and human violence. Anthropologist Margaret Mead noted: "One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and get away with it".

These well-known serial killers started off by killing/abusing animals:

- Albert De Salvo (Boston Strangler)
- Edmund Emil Kemper
- David Berkowitz
- Brenda Spencer
- Jame Huberty
- Daisy de Melker
- Jeffrey Dahmer

These people were all accused of animal abuse as children. Every day we read about murders, hi-jackings, violent assaults and domestic violence. If this is how we treat our fellow humans, it is worrying to think how our animals are being treated. Help us to educate those who do not believe animals have rights. The human race is the self-designated superior race, so it is our duty to ensure animals are protected. If animals could speak, their rights would also be protected in chapter 2 of the Constitution of our country, but they cannot so we must speak for them.

The question is: How can we prevent people from abusing animals or, for that matter, any kind of abuse? The answer is Humane Education. We discuss why it is so important to teach your child to love, respect and have compassion with animals. If I child is not taught by his/her partents to respect animals, they will most definitely not respect human beings, either.

The importance of Humane Education

Teach children to love and respect
animals

Teach children to love and respect
animals

This is what the Pet Action Group would like to see - children who love their pets just like this girl
and boy. Wouldn't it be great if all parents would teach their children to love animals?
As parents and pet owners we need to educate our children - the pet owners of the future - all about the needs and requirement of pets. Pets cannot speak for themselves, but they do need our love and care. Our children's future lies in our hands. If we do not show them the right way forward they will go astray and there will be a bleak future for their children. The vicious circle will continue if we - the adults - do not stop it. If a child cannot protect and care for an animal, how will that child grow up to protect and care for a family?

(Some information obtained here).

This male Boerboel lived in this cage of 1 x 3 meters for almost a year. His owner claimed that the neighbors complained about the dog running loose in the neighborhood and making a nuisance of himself. He therefore locked up the dog in this small cage. We found it very hard to believe as the whole yard is fenced with devils' fork the dog could not get out of the yard. Why lock him up in a cage?

The dog's living conditions were horrible. He had absolutely no shelter, the water and food buckets were filthy, he was covered in fleas and had to live in his own faeces. He also had a skin condition called Mange ("brandsiek").

According to a neighbor, the owner fed the dog slices of dry bread only.

This is a blatant act of animal cruelty.

After long negotiations with the owner and threatening him with the SPCA, he surrendered the dog.

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