Statistics say that approximately 6.5 million companion animals such as dogs, cats and any type of rodent are mistreated every day. Of these, approximately 3.3 million are dogs while 3.2 million are cats and other animals. The devastating story of a pit bull named Rocky is just one of many examples of the abuse that happens. Rocky was a full-time outdoor dog kept chained to an unreliable kennel. It was used as a burglar alarm and was never given the attention that every animal should receive. Rocky is just one of the 6.5 million stories told every day. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In this article, I will write about animal abuse and cruelty to companion animals, and I will prove that pit bulls are the most mistreated animal compared to all others. The type of people who abuse animals often have violent and abusive behavior towards their families or people in general. Hoarding behavior also victimizes and has a tendency to neglect animals as well. In families, if a family member witnesses this violent act towards their pet or other family members, this makes them potentially 3 times more likely to grow up and want to abuse animals too. For example, Jeffrey Dahmer started out killing and torturing animals. When he was four years old, his passion for animal carcasses and bones began. He began collecting the remains of killed animals he found in ditches or along the road, and began keeping their cut pieces and even masturbated with them. Just as Dahmer grew up killing animals and eventually killing people, there is also the possibility that another situation similar to Dahmer's case could happen to another child as well. Domestic violence directed towards animals can cause psychological problems for children if they are exposed to it. These psychological problems can include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other side effects it can cause. Animal torture is one of three adolescent behaviors called the “homicidal triad.” The homicidal triad is when you have violent tendencies along with serial crimes. 64.5% of dogs are abused compared to all other types of pets. This abuse does not only affect the children of the family unit, but above all the animal to which it is subjected. Types of dog abuse hurt them physically and mentally. Verbal and physical punishment occurs when one continuously screams and hits them without even batting an eye. Physical restraint occurs when you tie a dog with a very tight, short rope or heavy chain. Rejecting and socially isolating a dog means not taking care of its attention/affection needs and preventing it from having any type of human contact. Neglecting and subjecting a dog to excessive pressure beyond its capabilities and not caring for it properly, such as brushing, feeding and giving it attention. Deliberately terrorizing and inflicting pain and stress on a dog. Physical pain on a dog is more likely to be a short-term effect, but causes long-term mental problems. These issues include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, trust issues, and anxiety. Dogs that have been beaten have mental effects related to fear and depression. They become wary and distance themselves from people. They may become hostile and ferocious towards people. Dogs will slowly become more and more depressed and begin to act defeated, lonely, silent and no longer want to play. They will be terrified of exploring the environmentsurrounding. Isolated dogs have mental effects related to abandonment and anxiety. These dogs are afraid of being left alone or become overly attached to their rescuer. They suffer from severe separation anxiety or are completely terrified of people not being able to interact with them. IATC is intentional animal torture and abuse. It is used to coerce, control and intimidate women and/or future children into silence about domestic violence that may occur. Some examples of IATC may include a religious ritual sacrifice, an “artistic” sacrifice, psychological disorders, or sexually paraphilic disorders. For example, some religions such as Christianity, Islamic, and Judaism involve animal sacrifices. They may not be used as much today in modern times, but people still do exactly what they believe they should do, such as something bizarre like a blood ritual. 46 out of 50 states consider animal cruelty a crime while the remaining states still consider it a misdemeanor. Most laws against animal cruelty only cover cases such as aggravated cruelty, torture, or cruelty to companion animals. The list of ten dogs that suffer the least abuse begins with the American bulldog. These wildly adorable dogs have a total number of around 600 in shelters across the country right now because they look similar to the American pit bull terrier. They are discriminated against because of their pitbull-like appearance because people think they are "dangerous." Some may end up becoming violent because they are mistreated or kept away from society without learning how to interact with people. Number 9 on the list is the Australian Cattle Dog. Their number in shelters across the country is closer to around 700. Their high energy makes them too much to handle and they would be sent to a shelter. Without training they can be too energetic and must require a lot of mental stimulation to keep up. The beagle has around 1,000 in shelters across the country due to their high stubbornness. This breed is well known for their hunting skills, but being stubborn makes them poor hunting dogs. Poor hunting dogs tend to be abandoned by their companion or run away. When you own a beagle it is extremely difficult to train them, so people have a hard time keeping them around. The seventh breed is a boxer because they always end up with serious tumors and health problems that make them expensive to own. There are about 1,100 in shelters waiting to be adopted. They take a lot of time to keep busy because they have a short attention span. Boxers will very quickly become destructive if they are not properly cared for. The dachshund has almost 1,150 in shelters. The reason is that they are very stubborn and it can be quite difficult to train them. Most families who own them have to get rid of them because they have children and this breed is not very child friendly and can become aggressive. They are another breed that could become expensive to own due to their long spines which could cause a lot of problems. The fifth breed on the list is the American Staffordshire Terrier, and there are approximately 1,150 dogs in shelters. Just like the bulldog, they are discriminated against because people believe they are related to the pit bull. The main reason they may be placed in a shelter is because they can become aggressive with other dogs. They are also another breed added to the stubborn list because it makes them difficult to train, thus discouraging owners into giving them to a shelter. The German shepherd has almost 1,400 locked up in shelters because without adequate training he can become aggressive towards everything. Although they constitute.