It is difficult to understand why many companies and individuals feel comfortable treating animals cruelly. Most animals are kind, loving, sensitive, and helpful. Furthermore, they have done nothing to deserve cruelty, abuse, or inhumane treatment. People who have animals as pets understand that animals are similar to people in many ways; they have their own unique personalities, express affection, show fear, feel pain, and demonstrate steadfast loyalty. Although they cannot talk, most animals can communicate with humans in an understandable way. Dogs, for example, can give warning barks, delighted yips, sorrowful wails, wounded whimpers, or deep-souled howls. In the give and take of a relationship with a human, a dog does most of the giving, forgiving every insult and greeting even neglect with more love than the owner deserves. Few of us get that kind of unconditional love from other people; dogs have nobler souls than most of us do. Their loving hearts makes them precious.
Animals are highly beneficial to humans in many ways, as well. Stroking an animal can lower a personÆs blood pressureàas well as that of the animal. In fact, researchers found that ôdog owners who had heart attacks were slightly more likely to be alive one year later than were non-dog ownersö (Fischman). Animals can reduce depression, too: ôKeeping a pet can give you a sense of purpose and the feeling of being needed, a feeling that is especially important for people who live alone.ö (Sweat). The animal-human bond is so strong that in one study, researchers found that people swimming with dolphins obtained lasting improvement from their depression (Woznicki). This is not to even mention the services that animals perform, such as pulling plows or wagons, rescuing stranded or injured people, and alerting owners to prowlers.
In spite of the many benefits they provide, animals are often treated cruelly and inhumanely.
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