Running head: ANIMALS IN THE LAW !

Animals in the Law

Julia Sandor

Arizona State University

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Abstract

The following essay analyzes an ad from the Foundation for Animals in the Law, where their

mission is to provide animal-friendly laws and their enforcement. Animal cruelty is a major issue

all over the world, and this ad exemplifies ways to make a difference through their organization.

Keywords: Foundation for Animals in the Law, animal cruelty, ad, organization .
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Animals in the Law

Does everyone deserve equal rights? The obvious answer should be yes, but does

everyone have equal rights? No. Animals do not. Dating back to 1876 in the United Kingdom,

people have been fighting against animal cruelty. With all the work and donations to different

organizations, there has been no drastic change. People have started to distrust ads and

foundations because they have yet to show them where their money is going. Yet, other

organizations, such as the Foundation for Animals in the Law, have proven that their money is

being put to good use. Their ads draw your attention, and after analyzing, the overall ad depicts a

good future to put an end to animal abuse.

The text of this image depicts an older dog, with an old-time

colonial wig on. This wig gives the reader the impression of a judge.

The face of the dog is straight and stern, yet his eyes and nose look wet

and dreary. His fur is tattered and worn down, but this dog still seems

to be trying to stand its ground. The colors in this scene are very light,

showing pastel and cream, which makes it feel empty. If you look

closely at the bottom of the picture there is a paper clip, like a document, right next to the words,

“people who abuse animals deserve a tough judge”. This text, written in a typewriter format,

shows how old this problem dates back to.

This image comes from the Foundation of the Animal in the Law. The main website for

this Foundation is called tiermrecht.org. This website is based in Sweden, however it also helps

with American cases. The main social issue from this context is the animal rights. Although this

ad depicts a dog, it is all animals they are fighting for. The company is hoping for friendly laws
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and better enforcement for animals because they do not have a voice of their own. A topic like

this can relate to many people who have pets or other animals in some way. By looking at this

context people will see that there should be repercussions if people continue to animals.

Many people assume that nothing good will come from an ad like this, but this text exists

because something good is coming from it. The number of cases on the Foundation of the

Animal in the Law website prove that they are getting closer to a solution one case at a time.

Animal cruelty and fighting is an ongoing problem all around the world. This is why I chose to

analyze this text. As a basic animal lover, I have volunteered at animal shelters before. Seeing the

fear and trauma in their eyes is the worst sight you can see. Abusing an animal is no different

than abusing a human, so everyone deserves the same consequence.

Considering that animal cruelty is still a global issue, this ad remains relevant at any

given time. The image says “people who abuse animals deserve a tough judge.” Laws are always

relevant in society, so bringing up animal rights is a valid argument. Not only are animal rights

important, but it also differs than many other animal ads. Most ads want to take your money to

“help” animals in shelters. When you look at their sites, it isn’t as helpful as you might think.

This ad is more reliable and gives a very good description at the end of the page.

This ad contains a lot of emotion. There are a multitude of methods that this ad uses to

grab the reader’s attention. The most prevalent emotional tactic they use is guilt. The saying on
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the ad shows that animals can’t speak for themselves, so why

aren’t we? It makes the reader feel guilty because it is our

responsibility to help them, but no one is, so it isn’t fair to the

animals. The dog’s face in the image also displays a very sad

emotion. It seems to be straight-faced but the eyes seem to be

watery and upset. Looking at the distressed dog will make

the reader feel ashamed and entice them help out more. The

dog is also sitting up straight which shows authority. Even

though it is an animal, he deserves to have rights just like humans.

This ad includes a lot to appeal to logic and reason. The foundation focuses on animal

laws. It doesn’t say it is going to help animals in shelters, or help animals find homes, it

specifically says that they are trying to enforce animal laws. The bottom writing states, “the

Foundation for the Animal in the Law fights for animal-friendly laws and their strict

enforcement.” This proves that these laws are logical. If you go to their website, they provide all

of their court cases and plans to help animals. There are statistics on their website as well, which

can help back up the claims that they make, unlike other animal organizations.

Another big part of this ad is its credibility and integrity. Not many ads and sites are

reliable, so it can be hard to find something that is valid. After searching their website, I can tell

they are reliable. They have a database system that shows the reader all the animal court cases

they have been involved in. They also have a section where you can see all the federal and

cantonal animal related provisions. They are all ordered in an organized manner and provide a lot

of information. The mission of this company is to give animals a legal voice.

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“People who abuse animals deserve a tough judge”. Do you think so? Through this text

and context analysis there have been strong discussions on the issue of animal rights and the law.

When will enough be enough and how can we fix it? The Foundation of the Animal in the Law

provides information on legal advice, criminal cases, legislation, and animal laws. When it

comes to the topic of animal rights, most of us readily agree that animals deserve to have their

own rights as well. Where the agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of how we

can do this correctly. While some may still be convinced that the right way to help is through

donations to PETA and other shelter services, others will start to see that the best solution to help

animals is through the law itself.

There seems to be a great result of effectiveness from this ad. When you look into the

number of cases, which is a solid amount, it proves that there is an increase in support from

people inside and outside the courtroom. The mission of this company is to fight for animal-

friendly laws and their strict enforcement. By volunteering and donating people are one step

closer to being put away for their wrong actions. This ad dives into the more important issues,

like trying to stop the abuse before it happens, not after. The stance of this visual texts is that

they are on the animals side. The aim of all their projects is to improve our human and animal

relationships through many aspects such as legally, ethically, and socially. Their practical goals

are in the near future, while some of them have already been met. This ad shows that with the

help of others there can be a change in the lives of animals.