Cruelty directed at animals, also called animal mistreatment or abuse, involves behaviors that cause undue pain or stress to said creatures. Such offenses range from neglect of basic care to torture, mutilation or premeditated death. The Consequences of Animal Abuse are not only physical in nature but also psychological in nature. As you continue reading you will learn more about the subject.
Causes and Consequences of Animal Abuse
Have you ever seen an injured animal? Few people reflect on the consequences of mistreatment of animals because to a certain extent they do not respect the existence of these innocent creatures. The reasons for this lack of compassion with animals are diverse, so it is important to analyze them. But what is really transcendental is being able to understand how there are people who make animals suffer due to their attitude. While there are others who simply do not give any relevance to it.
Characteristics of Animal Abuse
Unfortunately, the ways in which you can mistreat an animal are numerous and diverse. It must be understood that there is not only physical abuse, which can be limited to blows. There is also the so-called psychological abuse.
Forms of Physical Abuse
- Hit the animal.
- Leave it tied under the sun, without supplying it with water.
- Under confinement in a place that he does not like and even makes him fear.
- Force him to work in appalling conditions, as usually happens with many horses.
Forms of Psychological Abuse
- yell at him for no reason
- Keep him as a pet, but never approach or pet him
- Do not provide education, but demand that you behave well
- Do not take him into account when he states that he has some type of inconvenience
Unfortunately, we could list many more forms of abuse and unfortunately, when it comes to doing evil, human beings can end up having a lot of creativity.
What are the causes?
Over time, there have been numerous cases of abusers. And it is very common that they justify it by pointing out that it is “just an animal”. In certain cases, as if they consider themselves insensitive, while in others, of course, they do know that it causes them pain. But being a dog, a cat, or any animal, they simply have no respect for its existence. They don't seem to mind that they find themselves causing pain, since it's not them.
Much of that behavior comes from having a bad upbringing, or a dysfunctional family. Where they have not been taught any kind of values, which enables them to have greater empathy for the pain that others may suffer. It is not surprising that people who have grown up in an abusive environment, when they are older end up executing those same abuses in some way. Obviously, the animal is not, in any way, to blame for that person having had bad experiences as a young person.
Is there justification for animal abuse?
Absolutely no. Some people who have been mistreated have come to point out that their attitude is due to the pain that their family or society has caused them. That they keep too much anger inside and need to externalize it in some way. But there is no excuse, animals are not guilty of anything! Indeed, these innocent creatures can only grant love in return. They could be a way to fill a heart that has been hurt.
Main Consequences of Animal Abuse.
Below we list some of the actions carried out by human beings that can be classified as animal abuse, regardless of the level of aggressiveness or the damage they may cause:
Injuries and Blows
With the application of blows and whipping an animal can be seriously injured. In turn, a blow that has not been dealt with properly and/or by the person with the authority to do so, can end up being potentially lethal to your life. Certain blows can break or break something inside them, which can lead to death.
Make Them Aggressive
An animal that has been hurt or mistreated will obviously not be in a position to bestow love on a regular basis. And by being so aggressive or violent, it's a vicious cycle because human beings are not going to appreciate them for acting that way. But what is certain is that he was forced to become the animal he is today!
Miscellaneous Disorders
After suffering abuse, an animal can exist with chronic sadness, so it will seem that its time for joy has passed. Or from negative experiences begin to distrust everyone, at every opportunity. This will lead him to always be avoiding others, including his owners.
Attacks on Human Beings
In certain cases, the animal's attitude may become violent when initially they were just meowing or barking. They have been known in which the animal is so fed up that it can attack. The worst scenario is that you can attack an innocent, such as a child who approaches you. An animal can become a great source of love, make no mistake about it. And there is nothing that justifies the mistreatment that some give them. I invite you, instead of mistreatment, to provide them with love, respect and affection, and they will surely respond to you in the same way.
Effects of Mistreatment of Dogs
Canine abuse, whether of a physical or psychological nature, always leaves consequences in the animal's behavior, particularly if it has lasted for a long time. The abuse of authority, and not using an educational method that is based on trust and respect, will cause our dog to maintain an attitude of distrust with other animals or humans.
Physical consequences
It is important to keep in mind that dogs are not machines, they are not programmed or all perceive in the same way, hence certain acts of violence can affect them differently. What may seem physically or emotionally harmful to one may be of no consequence to another. There is a probability that your dog has been abandoned or mistreated before, therefore, it is important that you know what the symptoms are, and in the event that it shows one or more, proceed promptly to reverse the situation and help it to be. happy.
In 2016 alone, more than 135.000 cases of animal abuse were registered in Spain, most of them involving dogs. It is a disconcerting figure, and indicates that there is still a long way to go. Abandonment, physical injuries, exaggerated yelling or hitting are all considered cruel and abusive actions. But there are many others that are of equal or greater relevance, and that for many, go unnoticed: such as leaving them tied up or confined for a long time in cold places or with incessant sun, or not giving them the medical care they require.
Psychological consequences
Specialized investigations have equated the attitudes of domestic dogs with others that received abuse, and the results revealed in the latter significantly high rates of hyperactivity, aggressiveness, fear of strange people or dogs, hyperattachment, constant barking, repetitive or unusual behaviors. Abuses that are repeated for months or years usually worsen the animals' behaviors, such as distress, depression, aggressiveness or lack of confidence.
Dogs that have been abused often experience behavioral changes that may not be reversible. Lack of confidence or aggressiveness are perhaps the most complex to treat. A dog that has repeatedly suffered from a human's abuse of authority will fear him, and likely for the rest of his existence, or for a long time. In a case like this, it is best to consult a professional.
Fear or exaggerated aggressiveness, unfortunately, sometimes cannot be healed. Cases have been known in which there has been no possibility of rehabilitation. In cases where the animal is considered a danger to humans, it ends up resorting to euthanasia, which must be performed by an expert veterinarian, in order to prevent it from suffering more pain than normal. Other behaviors that abuse can produce is a certain kind of compulsive disorder, such as barking too much at any time, licking surfaces for no reason, chasing their own tail, or obsessively digging any ground.
This type of obsessive behavior can considerably reduce your quality of life, your social ties, or your family bond. Dogs are animals that lived, from the beginning, in herds. For its evolution, it is essential to be part of one of them. That is why the mistreatment produced by humans, which has a greater force, can subdue their emotions and leave deep emotional wounds, and unfortunately, in many cases, equally physical, such as bone fractures, burns, sores, scars, loss limbs, and other barbarities.
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