Ways to Stop Animal Abuse
Authors: Kayla Sanders
Faculty Supervisor: Jessica Melilli-Hand, Ph.D., MFA
Community Partner: The Farm at Oatland North
Abstract:
The goal of my service-learning project was to spread awareness of the dangers of animal abuse and exactly how people can take action against it. I proposed the legislation of a National Animal Abuse Registry which would allow known animal abusers to be put on a list and prevented from getting more animals in the future. In my flyer, I urged the reader to report any animal abuse and advocate for anti-cruelty laws. I ended up distributing two of my flyers at local dog parks because this type of community fosters compassion toward animals.
The community partner I chose to work with was the Farm at Oatland North. This farm rehabilitates and socializes animals who have been abused, neglected, and injured. On its social media pages, the farm advocates for helping families to teach their children to be kind and respectful toward animals. This goes hand in hand with my flyer urging people to learn how to properly care for animals.
By working with the Farm at Oatland North I was able to see first-hand the dangerous impact of animal abuse. This project allowed me to see a community need in the need this farm has for volunteers to socialize these abused animals as well as provided direct evidence to support my argument on the effects of abuse. I was able to socialize with these animals and I saw firsthand how untrusting of people they are and why socializing with them is so important.
