Every single time I see one of those commercials with the abused animals staring at the camera, I tear up a little bit.

They look so helpless and sad, and I can’t handle it. The only time I ever make it all the way through watching those commercials is when my roommates refuse to change the channel.

This isn’t the only time I have this reaction, though. When an animal dies in a movie or a TV show, I am 10 times more sad than when a person dies.

When I was younger, I used to read the “Little House on the Prairie” series. As soon as the family dog, Jack, died, I had to stop reading them entirely. This literally happened in the middle of the series, midway into one of the books.

To this day, I have yet to read the series beyond that point.

I don’t understand how people can ever be abusive to animals. I’ve always loved animals because there’s just something about them that is innocent and loyal.

A dog, for instance, isn’t going to go around telling people rumors about you. I know, I know––that’s because dogs can’t speak, but I think that’s part of what makes them so adorable.

The only time an animal might attack you is because it is hungry or scared, not because it is angry with you.

Maybe abusing and killing animals isn’t as bad as doing the same to humans. I don’t think I could legitimately argue that point. But what I will say is that I don’t think people should be allowed to get away with it.

Maybe I get a little too worked up about this all, but I still think I have a right to do so.

Why should it be OK to hurt something so inferior to yourself?