Is adopting a shelter animal the best way to stop animal abuse? Clearly adoption is an option for the American population for stopping animal abuse. Americans should consider adopting an animal because it saves a life, adopting an animal could help a family live a longer, healthier life, and adopting an animal could save the United States Government in millions each year.

Since the year 2000 animal abuse has increased according to the Pet Abuse Crime Database (“Pet Abuse Crime Database”). In the United States alone thousands of animals are beaten, abused, and neglected. These numbers only increase each year. The database shows statistics of thousands of cases of abandonment and neglect in 2010 in the United States, but there were only 410 cases in which someone was prosecuted (“Pet Abuse Crime Database”). As a matter of fact, the state of Tennessee is the number 5th state in abandonment of animals (“Pet Abuse Crime Database”). Real time graphs of the Pet Abuse Crime Database display that neglect and abandonment is the biggest type of abuse at 32.2% out of all types of abuse across the United States (“Pet Abuse Crime Database”). In 1997 a survey conducted by the National Council on Pet Population and Study looked at one thousand shelters ("The True Costs of Euthanasia in Animal Shelters: A Comprehensive Examination”). Out of these shelters they said approximately 4.3 million animals come in and out, but most of these wayward creatures don’t come out alive. An estimated 64% of these animals are euthanized with a lethal injection of carbon monoxide gas ("The True Costs of Euthanasia in Animal Shelters: A Comprehensive Examination"). Many people believe that one person cannot make a difference. Others say differently. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Animals do matter.
Animals can be protected by a loving family. Purina’s site, Petcentric, states that, “Pets bring health and happiness” (“Pets Bring Health and Happiness”). In fact, pets lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and make life happier for their owners. “Studies suggest that pet owners’ blood pressure, cholesterol and even triglyceride levels are generally lower than those of people who do not own pets,” claims Petcentric (“Pets Bring Health and Happiness”). In Australia people own more pets than anywhere else in the world, and that cats and dogs have saved their National Health budget an estimated $3.56 billion(“Pets Bring Health and Happiness”). Researcher James E. Gern, a pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has done studies on the effect of animals on family’s health (Davis, “5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health”). In one experiment, he studied the blood of infants immediately after birth, and then one year later (Davis, “5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health”). He was looking for any evidence of an allergic reaction, any immunity changes, and if the young one had reactions to bacteria in the environment (Davis, “5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health”). His conclusion was if the infant grew up with a dog in the house then he/she was 33% less likely to have allergies vs. 19% less likely if the infant did not grow up with a dog, and the infant showed signs of a stronger immune system (Davis, “5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health”). Another Doctor, Lynette Hart, PhD, associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine also claims that, "Studies have shown that Alzheimer's patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home" (Davis, “5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health”).

As well as living a healthier life, saving money for the United States government is also a concomitant corollary. The Humane society of the United States spends millions of U.S. dollars on sheltering these animals each year. They spent an estimated $800 million on animal welfare this year (Rowan, “Animal Sheltering Trends in the U.S”). However, in 2007 they spent only $2,400 million (Rowan, “Animal Sheltering Trends in the U.S”). The cost increases each year. On average, communities in the United States spend about $8 per capita for animal shelters, handle on average 30 animals per 1,000 people, and shelters euthanize about 12.5 animals per 1,000 people (Rowan, “Animal Sheltering Trends in the U.S”). That is almost half the animals killed per 1,000 people in the United States. There are millions of citizens of the United States. That is a lot of slaughtered animals. However, there are studies that show the more money spent on a shelter decreases the number of euthanatizes, but adopting an animal from a shelter would both save money and decrease the euthanasia rates.

In conclusion adopting a pet is nothing but great for a family. A pet could potently help one live longer. A person is guaranteed a loving companion that will be there to get one moving or to slow one down, thus enhancing life. This is a generation in which everyone can make a difference in this world and stop animal neglect in a society that is becoming increasingly cruel to animals. Stop the pain, stop the abuse, and adopt a pet today. In parting are the lyrics of Pink Floyd’s song On the Turning Away: On the turning away From the pale and downtrodden, and the words they say which we won't understand, "Don't accept that what's happening Is just a case of others' suffering Or you'll find that you're joining in the turning away” ("The True Costs of Euthanasia in Animal Shelters: A Comprehensive Examination").


Works Cited
"Animal Abuse Crime Database." Pet-Abuse.com, n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.
Davis, Jeanie L. "5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health." WebMD. WebMD, Inc, 16 Nov. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.
"Pets Bring Health and Happiness." Petcentric. Purina, n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.
Rowan, Andrew N. "Animal Sheltering Trends in the U.S.." The Humane Society of the United States. The Human Society of the United States , 21 Jan. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.
"The True Costs of Euthanasia in Animal Shelters: A Comprehensive Examination." lawlib. Humane Society of the United States, 15 Dec. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.