Many years ago when I was younger, new neighbors moved in next to my house. The family had a dog - a Golden Retriever. The dog was tied to a chain outside at the front door every day and night. Nobody in the family seemed to pay attention to the dog. As months passed, my family and I started to talk about the poor neglected dog more often, but didn't know what to do. One day, the dog somehow escaped from the chain and walked into our property. The poor dog's coat was matted and dirty. We let the dog owner know the dog was with us. Soon the neighbor came to pick up the dog. Without saying anything to us, she grabbed the dog by the collar and dragged her back to the chain again. Watching her walk away with her poor dog, my family and I stood there with our mouths open, speechless. Later I was told that the dog's owner was a school teacher and I remember being surprised, wondering how a teacher like her could possibly tell children about compassion towards living things.

I stood still for a while, wondering if this behavior was typical of pet owners. On a daily basis, I don't come across dog and cat owners openly abusing or neglecting their animals. But considering all the news and articles on animal cruelty and neglect, it seems very common and may actually happen more often behind closed doors than out in the public eye. Just like the number of domestic violence is hard to grasp, so may be the instances of animal cruelty.

Looking back, I feel like I could've taken some action about this next-door neighbor's behavior toward her dog. But back then in my native country, I don't remember ever hearing about "animal rights" (I was also young)... I only remember a feeling of helplessness and sympathy toward the poor dog.

It's a good thing more and more people are growing aware of proper pet care and animal rights these days, and at the same time animal cruelty cases have been reported more often. I myself try to make a contribution to the well-being of animals by buying animal cruelty-free products regularly.

The following is some useful information on animal cruelty.
ASPCA
Pet-Abuse.com
American Anti-Vivisection Society