Literature Review

Animal cruelty is an issue that is being addressed more and more as people are further understanding the bond between humans and animals.
This topic has been argued over for many years. The problem with the laws already layed out by governments is that much of the written laws are set for interpretation. There are many theories as to what the causes and effects are of animal cruelty. It has been argued that animal cruelty has a harmful effect on people, reflecting on their character and desensitizing them. This can cause them to lose sight of what is right and wrong, and end up hurting another human in the same way. Thankfully, as more people are becoming aware of the emotional bond that is formed between an animal and its owner, more is being done to stop animal cruelty. This text will review the ways that the connections with animals and people have become more real and have caused people to change the way they look at the treatment of animals.
Just a Dog, by Arnold Arluke is a book that explores the human-animal bond and analyzes the theories that surround why animal cruelty takes place. This book was written with the goal to educate the public on matters that are commonly ignored. Arluke stated that, “by understanding how people make sense of cruelty and why cultural and social factors encourage its persistence, the public might be better equipped to debate and formulate policies to define and combat it.” Many people are unaware of what is going on around them, on a daily basis. They are too wrapped up in their jobs, their lives, their problems, to be worrying about animal cruelty. When these topics come up for debate, there are people who attack the subject, without truly knowing what they’re talking about. Just a Dog aims to inform the public on these matters so that they will have a better understanding of what is going on around them.
Bridging the Bond Tami L. Harbolt is a book that focuses on personal accounts of animal and human bonding. The author beings by telling the story of what brought her to adopt her dog Camille. She then moves on to tell stories of personal accounts with animal shelters, specific animals, and other people surrounding the animal environment. This book emphasizes the trust that is developed between animals and humans. For animals that have been mistreated, it can take a while for that animal to trust again, if ever. Many animals are scarred for life, being always nervous and jittery, afraid to come close to certain kinds of people. Harbolt’s book tells stories of how patience and kindness is needed to help these animals, and that it these kinds of people are necessary to put a stop to animal cruelty.
From reviewing these two sets of literature, I can definitely say that I am going to focus on how the bonds between an animal and a human can change people’s views on animal cruelty. From personal experiences, I can say that it is different to say something, than to do something. A person could say they don’t care about a topic, but the moment that issue becomes a part of their life, their whole outlook on it has changed. I still, however, want to gain more sources on how connections between animals and humans have changed people, and also what people have needed to do in order to rehabilitate an animal.