Where do you draw the line as to where animal abuse starts?

Causing distress In an animal is abuse. allowing distress is abuse. In Alberta a dog and a cat starved to death from someone duct taping the muzzles and mouths shut. No owe was caught it could be anyone from a brat child to a fully grown adult.

If you wouldn’t do it to a person, don’t do it to an animal.
I’m not a vegetarian by any means. If I’m going to kill an animal or a person, I’m not going to make them suffer beforehand. I’d kill them quickly and as painlessly as possible, and only out of necessity.
If it would cause physical or mental distress in a person, I most certainly won’t do it to an animal. A small smack on the nose for doing something bad is okay, but I won’t beat them.

^ Where does beating start or stop? One heavy blow with the back half of a pool cue, or a thick chain is less beating than many blows with a leather belt, or rubber hose?

Beating starts when it’s not about teaching them a lesson anymore and they’re just exerting brute force upon the person/animal. I wouldn’t hit a person with a chain, pool cue, or anything else other than my own hand very firmly, but not too hard. Just enough to get my point across and nothing more.
Mental abuse begins when you neglect them, refuse to spend time with them, or leave them out in bad weather. None of that is acceptable, it is just cruel.

I like @talljasperman s response as I have often wondered this myself. I live in a neighborhood where all the cats seem to be left out all night. At one point I was offering my kitchen to around 3 cats due to their being freezing cold and it was raining. They are also not fed enough. It shocks me, there are two cats in particular. One was eating the ends of a sandwich someone had thrown away.

So, then I was feeding three animals and I cannot afford it. I know I should phone the SPCA. Or, at least I think I should? I did think that this is how they do it around here, but no, I reckon it is cruel.

I base it on an animal’s taste.

If its something that a normal thinking person would not do to a child then they shouldn’t be doing it to any animal.

When we take on the responsibility of caring for a pet it is parallel in most ways to caring for a young child. I mean when you take an animal home from a shelter it is termed “adoption” for a reason. So, any form of not caring for it responsibly (either physically or emotionally ) is abusive in my viewpoint.

If you wouldn’t do it to your kid then don’t do it to your pet.

Having sex with them when they are not in heat.

Leaving the dog on a chain all day, even in good weather, to me, is not too kind. Leaving it outside 24/7 no matter what the weather is abusive and you may as well not have a dog.

Anything that decreases that animal’s quality of life to me is abuse. Obviously, hitting them sucks. Or at least neglect, if the person is not aware that this is hurting the animal. Neglect to me falls under abuse. It can also depend on the type of animal. If you have a husky, you can probably leave it outside in the snow for hours and he’ll be fine, but I wouldn’t do that to a cat. But say your husky wants to come in after 15 minutes, you should let him in. He lives with you and will know your home to be his, and will see it as security and comfort. Denying that to the dog can make him miserable. Having pets is a big responsibility, and a lot of folks don’t seem to be aware of this. I shouldn’t even mention hitting your animal. If you love a person or an animal, you don’t hurt them, period.

If you wouldn’t want it to happen to you, don’t let it happen to an animal. Who would choose to be left outside, day and night, lonely and neglected (dogs are pack animals that suffer without companionship)? Who wants to cower in an unheated, non-insulted doghouse – resting on the frigid ground, no less – in January? Do you wish to be threatened and hit?

I see photos where people put their pit bulls on these big heavy chains and with big heavy collars, supposedly to make the dog’s neck stronger. Very cruel, hard to imagine living that way as a dog. In bad neighborhoods, they breed pit bulls for cash and then fight them. It’s awful.

I agree with @Buttonstc. If you wouldn’t touch a human child that way, don’t do it to your dog.

@Buttonstc If its something that a normal thinking person would not do to a child then they shouldn’t be doing it to any animal.
Yeah……but let’s get real, some people do not see it that way. Some people believe the dog is to protect the lumber yard, the shop, or whatever, they are around to work, not be coddled. Seeing that the dog is a work animal they are no different than a cow, ox, horse, or other animal in which certain work is expected. To those people having the dog in the yard, behind a gate, etc. 24/7 or near to it is not being cruel to the animal, because that is what the animal is there for; to guard and protect something. They don’t expect their toddler to guard the boats, the mobile home storage, or the lumber yard.

@Hypocrisy_Central A beloved guard dog can have a super soft dog bead in a nice warm shop as opposed to a log chain and no bed, food, water or affection though. Alot of dogs were bred to work and enjoy it, that in itself is not abusive.

We’re saying if you wouldn’t punch your kid, don’t punch your dog.
If you wouldn’t starve your kid or not take them to a dr when sick, don’t do that to your dog.

Before dogs were domesticated, they were wild. There are dog breeds that do enjoy work: they like the training and even pulling heavy weights or guarding houses. For me, if the animal suffers – feels dehydrated, hungry, unloved, or unappreciated – then that’s abuse. Dogs today are very forgiving of their owners and they have no idea of what abuse or neglect is. Personally, I would apply the same rule for humans. Don’t do to a dog what you wouldn’t want done to you.