The hidden side of animal cruelty

Since middle school, there is one thing in this world I’ve wanted more than anything, and I still haven’t gotten it.

A dog. More specifically, a husky.

It’s not that it’s impossible to get or that it isn’t feasible for me to get one. I’ve had the money.

However, I’m an individuals that recognizes the fact that animals are a large commitment, and I’ve just never been in the right circumstances for one.

Huskies have a lot of energy. I’ve never had the space for it to run or the time to spend to play with it.

I’ve seen too many people around my age that just make the impulse purchase of an actual living being just because it’s cute. However, age is no discriminatory factor in the childish decision.

Animals are not accessories. It’s just like having a baby. You’re not going to purposely have a child because babies are cute when you have no means to provide for it. So, why would you do so with an animal?

This is one type of animal cruelty that many people don’t recognize as actual animal cruelty.

If you live in an apartment with no fenced in back yard and you get a pet, it will spend its life locked up inside that house or cage except when you take it out to relieve itself. How is that not cruel?

Maybe you have the right physical means for a pet. You might have a house and a fenced in back yard, but what if you don’t have the time to spend with it?

This is especially important if you buy a young animal. They need to be raised, potty-trained, fed, exercised and played with. Again, just like a child. Ever heard of the term child neglect? That is a form of child abuse. Animal neglect is animal cruelty.

The financial commitment is also a factor that is often overlooked. I’m guilty of this as well. There is more of a financial commitment to getting a pet than buying the actual pet.

They need a place to sleep, food, toys, medical visits and often more.

When it comes to caring for an animal, it is comparable to caring for a child. However, this is not true when it comes to dressing them.

Need I say again, pets are not accessories! There is a reason animals have fur. They don’t need clothes.

There is nothing that looks weirder than buying a pet to treat it like a doll just so you can tote it around for display in your hot, messy purse or force it into these tight, scratchy clothes. This is downright strange. It is unnatural.

I have absolutely zero credentials to be preaching animal cruelty other than the fact that I’m a die-hard animal lover, which begs my point exactly.

Everything I’m saying is nothing more than common sense. Animals are animals, but should be cared for just as much as humans.

If you are looking into making the commitment of getting a pet of any kind, do the research.

Make sure you are in the right living conditions and have the time, energy and of course- the money to provide for a pet.

You’re going to fall in love with this pet, so take the necessary steps to care for it like it matters to you.