Common sense for the senseless...

It pisses me off when people are negligent with their animals. There is no reason to ever get to that point. I cry of frustration, because I don’t know how people cannot understand something so simple: if you cannot care for an animal do NOT get one! The animal isn’t forcing you to get him, he can’t even talk! And if you make the mistake of getting one and not being able to provide for him, be mature enough to remedy the error, by finding him a shelter. Do not leave him on his own to suffer and starve, or with an embedded collar, without medical treatment, or proper hygiene and shelter. It is so easy to make a call to one’s local animal shelter or places with information regarding shelters or providing aid like the ASPCA and the Humane Society.

If you are thinking of getting an animal there are a few things to keep in mind:
Make sure you can provide love, attention and time
Puppies, kittens and every other baby animal out there are adorable. Do not get them just because they are cute, because they will grow. Make sure that you will still want them, love them and care for them after they outgrow their cute baby stage.
While an animal is not a human being, it is a living being and so should be treated as one. This means that it should be treated as part of the family, so one is getting a new family member.
Just like one would when adding a new member to any family, expect to spend more money. The animal will need proper nutrition, a shelter, grooming and cleaning. It is also vital for the animal to obtain good medical care and see a veterinary for routine check ups, vaccines and medicines.
But most of all, keep in mind that it is negligent to not care for an animal properly. So if he/she will be mistreated do not get them. The animal is not asking you to, it is your choice.

Toughen Up!

I was watching an Animal Cops and have noticed a tendency for negligent owners to get extremely light “punishments” for mistreating their animals. Usually it will be a monetary fine and in the most extreme cases of abuse a few days of jail time (months at the most). How is this supposed to diminish animal cruelty?
As a young professional with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, I know that the purpose of punishment is to deter the offender from repeating the crime. When a punishment is equal in severity to the crime committed, there are less chances that the offender will repeat the crime. But when the punishment is overly lenient, the offender is more likely to repeat the crime. So I ask myself, if the purpose is to punish the negligent animal owners and prevent them from repeating abusive behavior against animals, why are their punishments generally so lenient?