Animal neglect increases during this holiday season

It’s Christmas time, a time of joy and cheer, but not for everybody this holiday season.

In the U.S. approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized due to full capacity in animal shelters each year. During the holiday season, many doting parents buy animals for their kids without the knowledge of proper care and commitment it takes. They end up realizing how much work animals require and abandon them without a second thought soon after. Animals are live, intelligent creatures that feel emotions as strong as we do, and yet we treat them as if they are toys that can be bought and sold again and again. Animals form strong bonds like children and getting torn away from their families over and over hurts them unbearably.

So it is even more surprising how many ignorant people think they can just abandon their pet, because in my eyes it’s a crime. I have seen far too many broken animals that became like they are because of humans. I hope this letter makes you more aware and less likely to go into a commitment without researching first.

So, from a 14-year-old middle school student to you, let’s stop thinking about ourselves and start thinking of our animals.

This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Animal neglect increases during this holiday season."