What is wrong with people?

Every day as I am scanning the latest headlines concerning the animal world, I become more and more convinced there is something wrong with this country. The amount of abuse inflicted on the animals we purportedly love continues to rise.

There is no area of the country which is immune to this epidemic. From Alaska to the Florida Keys, animals are starved, beaten, dumped and other things to horrible to mention.

Sometimes when I am speaking to my friends and we are discussing things happening in our area, I run into a rescuer who is so over the top, I wonder how they got that way. I am beginning to realize why they are such zealots. It has to be what they are confronted with on a daily basis.

You see, as much as I love the animals, I have a regular job and do regular things. The animals are still my passion but I have periods where I am not dealing solely with them. Many people get into the animal welfare field because they like animals better than people. Well, I love animals but am also a people person.

So my question of the day is, "What is wrong with people?" How do we educate them and change the mood of how animals are perceived?

The story which caused me to begin thinking about this took place in Chicago. I know it is a long way from here to Chicago, but you can find these stories all over our local area at any given time. It seems this woman decided she did not want her 10 year old terrier mix any longer, so she gave it to a relative to dump out. The police were contacted when a group of kids were seen beating the dog with sticks and baseball bats. The police followed the dog's bloody footprints back to his home where he was crying at the door.

The woman was charged with failure to comply with an animal owner's duties and cruelty to animals. You can read the story here.

So once again, what is wrong with people and how can we fix it?