I will be the first to tell you that that state of animal treatment in the United States and the world is poor at best. There are just too many bad cases and troubled situations for one person or one group to deal with. That is absolutely correct. Nothing will change without a movement. Action by ordinary people on the grassroots level. We cannot depend on government bureaucracy and underpaid law enforcement officials to take the lead on animal welfare issues.
We can all start very small. Start by making sure your friends and family are taking proper care of their animals. I never understood why people would adopt a dog then stick it in a tiny pen on the far corner of the property. Only to interact with the dog once a day to fill its bowl with food. We believe that pets are family! Both sides lose in these types of scenarios. The people do not get the full benefit of quality time and play with an unconditionally loving pet. The pet is doomed to live out its life in a cage purgatory where it gets only minimal social stimulation.
The next steps are to donate, volunteer, community awareness. Donate to your local no kill animal shelter, Spay/Neuter organizations, and the like. These organizations work diligently in your community everyday to make the lives of animals better. The real beneficiaries of these organizations are the people of the community. Sadly most do not receive any government funding. They rely solely on donations of people like you and me and the occasional grant.
Volunteer at a no kill animal shelter or other animal welfare organization. The only resource these places need more than money is volunteers. They need help taking dogs to adoption events on the weekends, walking dogs in the kennels so they become used to human contact and do not jump all over a perspective adopter because they are never let out of their pens. They need help gathering evidence in animal abuse and neglect cases. Local law enforcement seldom acts. If they do it is almost always too late for the animals.
The last and most important is awareness. Just keeping your eyes open to possible abuse cases. If you drive by a house with a dog in bad shape, contact the authorities and your local humane society. Talk to your friends about it. Awareness leads to education. The more we know the better we can be. We owe that to our furry friends.
