The Extent of Animal Abuse Worldwide It's a bright, sunny spring day in a small town. A dad is outside grilling and a little boy is laughing and having a fantastic time playing with his dog. There is a beautiful cat lying on the windowsill purring and looking at everyone outside while a little girl gently strokes its head. At the end of the night, the animals fall asleep in a warm house with full bellies. This is how most people expect people to treat their pets. There are several households in America that have a pet in their household. Many of these pet owners consider their pet a member of their family. They may treat their pets as their children and spoil them in many ways. Unfortunately, there are also hundreds of animals who are not so lucky. These animals are skin and bones, have mange, and insects crawl on their skin. They are not fed daily and are starving. They crave love and human interaction, but never receive it. Unfortunately, many animals are abused, neglected and inhumanely treated in various forms every day and this callous treatment of animals must stop. Although illegal, dog fighting is a common type of animal abuse. According to Linda Kalof and Carl Taylor, "The history of dog fighting begins with the training of dogs to attack humans and other animals in bloody struggles, a sporting and spectacle activity that dates back at least to the fifth century BC” (Kalof and Taylor 321). ). The fact that people can train an innocent animal to kill other animals or even humans is sickening. This type of animal abuse has been going on for centuries and continues to happen very often today. America's dog fighting problem...... middle of paper ......niFile Full Text Select. Internet. April 10, 2014Henry, Bill C. and Cheryl E. Sanders. “Animal bullying and abuse: is there a link? » Society and Animals 15 (2007): 107-126. Premier Academic Research. Internet. April 14, 2014Kalof, Linda and Carl Taylor. "The dogfighting talk". Humanity and Society 31.4 (2007): 319-333. Wilson Web: OmniFile Full Text Selection. Internet. April 14, 2014Maher, Jennifer and Harriet Pierpoint. “Friends, Status Symbols, and Weapons: The Use of Dogs by Youth Groups and Youth Gangs.” Crime Law and Social Change 55 (2011): 405-420. Academic OneFile. Internet. April 14, 2014Sollund, Ragnhild. “Expressions of Speciesism: The Effects of Pet Keeping on Animal Abuse, Animal Trafficking, and Species Decline.” Crime Law and Social Change 55 (2011): 437-451. Wilson Web: OmniFile Full Text Selection. Internet. April 14 2014