The shocking act of cruelty against an East Maitland dog is just the latest in a line of animal abuse cases in the Hunter Valley this year.
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In Cessnock, a horse had its tail cut in October, and a dog was the victim of an acid attack in September.
A Weston cat was paralyzed after a man allegedly swung it by its tail and hit it against a trailer in May.
And these are just the incidents that have occurred this year.
Nine puppies were bludgeoned to death with a brick in Kurri Kurri in March 2015 and a Cessnock Chihuahua was kicked against a wall in August last year.
There is an old saying that “you can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him”.
Pets cost more than they return. They do, however, give us a great deal, such as love and company.
They can even provide support for the vision-impaired and people suffering mental illness and physical disability.
Their lives are in our hands. They rely on us for food, water and treatment when they are ill, and they are ultimately defenseless to poor treatment.
When you take on a pet you accept a responsibility to look after them. For life.
To starve an animal of resources is the lowest of the low.
The comments on The Mercury’s Facebook page in relation to the story about Grizzly the rottweiler showed that there are people out there who agree.
The comments prove there are good people out there who love animals and would never do anything to hurt one.
But condemning someone for their actions and being angry can only go so far.
Dog Rescue Newcastle co-founder Sue Barker said the shelter has recently been inundated with animals.
The RSPCA in Rutherford always has animals waiting to find their forever homes and unwanted pets are an unfortunate byproduct of Christmas gift giving.
There are also organisations like Miracle Assistance Dogs, which train animals to help people with various mental and physical conditions. The cost to train a single dog is tens of thousands of dollars.
These and many other animal welfare groups rely solely on donations to continue their operations.
So rather than expressing outrage via social media about animals being mistreated, think about helping one instead.