Cruelty to animals

25-30,000 animals are put to sleep every year in the United States alone. These animals die simply because no one wants them. When you think of animal pounds you think of cats or dogs living together waiting for people to come and pick them up and give them a nice home, but the reality is that a pound is where a dog or cat is taken when it has nowhere else to go. Not even half the animals make it to another home. In fact only 5-10% of all animals in pounds are given a second chance. You may think ‘that’s sad but it’s not my problem, there’s nothing anyone can do about that’ but there is, simply spaying or castrating your pets will make a difference. I volunteered for the RSPCA not long ago and the saddest thing about the animals there is that even though they are in good condition with knowledge of the basic commands and most of them are adult dogs, many of them are unwanted. So please de-sex your pets.

Another serious issue is animal cruelty in general. Animal cruelty is a horrible act and animals have as much right as humans do to feel safe in the world. Some of the stories I’ve heard about animal cruelty make me sick to the stomach. One such story is of a young boy who tied a kitten up by its neck from a clothes line and beat it with a stick. This kind of behavior is disgraceful. As you can tell I feel very strongly about the treatment of animals and that’s why I think everyone should f nd out ways to help stop this crime. There is a myspace page for ATAAC, Aussie Teens Against Animal Cruelty, for those who would like to learn more about how they can help animals. Visit www.myspace.com/ataac and add them!

Another great web page to visit for those who also want to help the environment is www.greenpeace.com. For those who don’t know what or who Greenpeace is, they are an activist organisation set up to create awareness of what is happening to the environment. They are made up of people all over the world who perform various activities – some quite daring! for the good of the climate. You can join Greenpeace through their website, but of course you don’t have to perform daring stunts to help Greenpeace. You can simply join their email list and receive a monthly newsletter letting you know what’s happening and how you can help. I have signed a number of petitions and sent a few emails to help save endangered whales from commercial whaling. There are many ways in which you can help animals and the environment from the safety of your own computer!