Research Log #1 - Solutionary Project 2021

Date: February 4th 2021

Name: Miles Quemuel-Labrador
Central Question: What is animal cruelty? What can be done to stop it?
Thesis: Although usually done behind the scenes, animal cruelty can be identified and certain actions can be taken
to stop it.
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source? Introducing the main problem from my Solutionary Project. This will be
put before I branch off into my more specific idea of animal cruelty.

Excerpts:

Whether or not you believe it many pets were greatly affected during the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown, “When [a pet]
owner lost his business and his home due to the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns, he could no longer afford to take
care of them (his dogs). He’d tried for about a month to figure out a way to keep them but realized he didn’t have a
choice.”

In a prediction the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals released data that estimated around “4.2
million pets will enter poverty in the next six months as a result of the Covid-19 crisis” (article was written in October
2020)

Some things have been done by bigger organizations to address this problem: “Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of
the ASPCA, said the organization is working to address the crisis. In March [2020], the non-profit launched a $5
million Covid-19 relief and recovery initiative to help families keep their pets at home by improving access to vetinary
care, pet food and supplies.”

Commentary and Analysis:

This was a news article from TODAY written by Jen Reeder about how Americans are having to give up their
pets because they can’t afford to care for them due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the high price of living in the
United States and maintaining a pet, losing income will drastically affect thousands of people. One example of a
situation where something like this happened was shared in the article. In this situation a man lost his business,
income, and house and was struggling to pay for himself to survive. While he was struggling his three dogs had it
worse, they were going hungry and were not receiving the adequate and usual care that dogs should be receiving.
Many people in situations like this will take 2 options in combatting this problem, they will either do nothing and
allow themselves and their pets to live in poverty or they will decide that no pet owner ever wants to do: give up their
pet.
Predictions by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimate that this problem is
only going to get worse as the pandemic rages on. According to a study that they did they approximate that between
the 6-month period of October 2020-April 2021 around 4.2 million pets will enter poverty or situations like it. They
also estimate that the number of pets living in poverty could very possibly and realistically rise above 24.4 million.
This data clearly shows that no one is benefiting from this situation and that the light at the end of the tunnel is miles
away.
This problem is horrible, and things must be done to attack is head on. However, some things have been done
and set into motion. Matt Bershadker, who is the president and CEO of the ASPCA has helped to start the launch of a
$5 million COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Initiative that is aimed to help families keep their pets at home by
improving access to veterinary care, pet food and other supplies that might be needed. I think that this is a significant
step in the right direction. I also think that this is a great model for our project whether we will directly receive cash
donations or collect dog food to specifically attack one part of the bigger problem.

MLA Work Cited:

Reeder, Jen. “Americans Are Starting to Give up Their Pets Because of COVID-19 Hardships.” TODAY.com, TODAY
Show, 2 Oct. 2020, www.today.com/pets/americans-are-starting-give-pets-during-covid-19-crisis-t192819.

This is a reputable and reliable article because TODAY is an extremely prestigious media source and does not post
any false information and only hires reputable and reliable writers and journalists.

Research Log #2 - Solutionary Project 2021

Date: February 19th, 2021
Name: Miles Quemuel-Labrador
Central Question: What is animal cruelty? What can be done to stop it?
Thesis: Although usually done behind the scenes, animal cruelty can be identified and certain actions can be taken
to stop it.
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source? Branching off into a more specific topic of Animal Cruelty and how it
relates to the bigger problem.

Excerpts:

The Humane Society of the United States reported that “intentional cruelty to animals is strongly correlated with other
crimes, including violence against people”.

Things have been done to try stop animal cruelty: “The HSUS has long led the push for a stronger animal cruelty laws
and provides training for law officials to detect and prosecute these crimes”, “animal cruelty laws now include felony
provisions in all 50 states”.

Animal cruelty goes hand in hand with domestic violence, in a survey done “71 percent of domestic violence reported
that their abuser also targeted pets”.

Commentary and Analysis:

These excerpts were taken out of an article published by the Humane Society of the United States discussing
animal cruelty and its statistics. According to the article one of the main problems relating to animal abuse is that many
times violence against animals is not reported in the same way that violence against people is. Many times, it is not
recognized how truly common it is whether it being the specific action of hitting a pet or giving it serious neglect. In
most cases animal cruelty is strongly correlated with other crimes such as violence towards people, allowing it to be
identified if examined. Animal cruelty does not only affect the pets mentally and physically, it can also severely affect
people in the family, such as kids who see these actions becoming normalized or terrorizing.
Some things that have been done to attempt to stop this problem is that the HSUS was able to push for stronger
animal cruelty laws and was able to include felony provisions for the crime in all 50 states. This is a very positive step
in the right direction because by first establishing consequences for this problem you then stop some people from
committing it in the first place. However, even more has been done to combat animal cruelty, in 2016 the FBI added
cruelty to animals as a category in the Uniform Crime Report, which allows them to be able to track patterns and create
new strategies to work against cruelty to animals.
 With what’s going on in the world right now cruelty to animals is in an unusual spot. For the most part because
of the pandemic it is harder to see and identify animal abuse due to restrictions from the virus. However, relating some
information that was given in the article animal cruelty correlates to things like depression, anger, fear, domestic
violence and other things similar. All of these are things that the pandemic has caused whether it is because of grief or
shortages of money. Coming to a logical conclusion it is clear that something like delivering pet food will help some
problems and allow the pets to not struggle or allow them to live in a safer environment, free of abuse or cruelty.

MLA Work Cited:

The Humane Society of the United States. “Animal Cruelty Facts and Stats.” The Humane Society of the
United States, www.humanesociety.org/resources/animal-cruelty-facts-and-stats. 

This is a reputable and reliable article because this article was written by the Humane Society of the United States
which is an official organization that specifically focuses on pets and cruelty to animals. Also, since the Humane
Society is nationally recognized it cannot have any misinformation reported on its website.

Research Log #3 - Solutionary Project 2021

Date: February 19th, 2021
Name: Miles Quemuel-Labrador
Central Question: What is animal cruelty? What can be done to stop it?
Thesis: Although usually done behind the scenes, animal cruelty can be identified and certain actions can be taken
to stop it.
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source? I will use this source in the section talking about possible ideas and
community inclusion on the topic.

Excerpts:

Although illegal, people will still “force dogs to fight for their entertainment”.

Some things that can result from dog fights include: “loss crushing injuries, broken bones, lacerations, puncture
wounds and even death”.

In this TED talk Chung stated that “the most common and the best solutions will be to call 9-1-1 when seeing an
abused animal or if possible, taking the abused animal to a veterinarian”.

Commentary and Analysis:

In this TED talk by Kyle Chung who was a 5th grader at the time this video was published the topic of animal
abuse was discussed specifically highlighting the problem of dog fights. Chung explained that although illegal often
times dog fights are still taking place simply for people’s entertainment. The main problem with dog fighting is that
usually dogs are fighting against their will and from the injuries that come with it. A winning dog will leave the fight
with many injuries including broken bones or lacerations while a losing dog will not be as lucky and sometimes even
wind-up dead. Chung also talked about how animal abuse can lead to other detrimental and negative things in the
community, including things like violence towards other people.
Throughout his talk Chung discussed and went over some possible things that he believes will help combat the
problem as a whole. However, it should be noted that like many others Chung is able to recognize that animal abuse
and cruelty will never truly be solved because there is always someone who will hurt an animal. Some things that he
said that have been and are being done are: taking flyers from a local shelter and giving them to friends with new or
existing pets, taking an abused animal to a shelter, or calling 9-1-1 when seeing an abused animal. I think that this is a
good idea and is something that can be done by most people. Specifically, I like the tactic having to do with the
distribution of flyers to friends and other people because I believe that community engagement is the best way to
combat animal abuse from its source. I think that this is also a very positive solution because is follows the lines of
effective altruism in the way that rather than spending time taking care of one abused animal you take that time to
spread awareness and do the “most good”.
Some things that I think should be done is that we need to adapt these solutions that Chung has provided to fit
the current times and situations that we are in. Meaning that we need to have effective solutions that are realistic and
can be done without violating any restrictions that come with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I do really like the
idea of the flyers about animal abuse that can be handed out. Incorporating this into the solutionary project I believe
would be a great benefit to our cause. Instead of taking flyers from a shelter we can design our own and be able to
distribute them as we are collecting our donations from the community.

MLA Work Cited:

Chung, Kyle, director. Stop Animal Abuse. TEDxTalks, Youtube, 19 May 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=LellPt4yNZQ. 

This is a reputable and reliable article because it is produced and published by TED which is a highly recognized and
reputable source who is always quick to deleting misinformation and since this video is from 2017 and has not yet
been removed it shows that it is reliable to the high standards of TED.

Research Log #4 - Solutionary Project 2021

Date: Thursday, February 25, 2021
Name: Miles Quemuel-Labrador
Central Question: What is animal cruelty? What can be done to stop it?
Thesis: Although usually done behind the scenes, animal cruelty can be identified and certain actions can be taken
to stop it.
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source? When discussing the legal aspect of dealing with and defining animal
abuse

Excerpts:

According to some experts, “the law regarding the manner in which we deal with animal cruelty offenders remained in
a rudimentary state”.

One reason that the United States is so slow to criminalize human cruelty to animals is because of “the lack of
consistent, broad definitions of animal cruelty, and established considered jurisprudence regarding the objectives,
principles, and other matters that should inform the sentencing of animal cruelty offenders”.

Consequences often vary between offenders who commit similar or the same crime dealing with animal cruelty: “such
offenders can receive varied penalties for the same crimes in different jurisdictions, and some of those sanctions are
unduly lenient, while others are unduly harsh.

Commentary and Analysis:

This journal was from a South Carolina Law Review book, it discussed the nature of laws regarding animal
abuse and cruelty. According to the journal, “the law regarding the manner in which we deal with animal cruelty
offenders remain[s] in a rudimentary state”. What this means is that many of the laws and consequences regarding
animal cruelty are often weak or ineffective. This could mean that laws won’t punish people enough for crimes that
they have committed, punishments are inconsistent on similar offenses, animal cruelty isn’t accurately defined. This
creates such a large problem because through a legal path to stopping animal cruelty the road isn’t defined.
Currently in the laws regarding defining and deciding punishments for animal abuse crimes, contains an
overview of the framework of sentencing law. What this does is that it explains the approach to the sentencing of
animal cruelty offenders. I believe that this is a good step in the right direction, having some sort of outline to punish
people for abusing animals is great progress. However, the fact that problems such as inconsistent punishment and
consequences that are either too harsh or are not harsh enough still exist challenges the efficacy of law.
Somethings that I think should be done are first obviously redefining and improving the legal aspect of dealing
with and identifying animal abuse. I think that this is something that could be a real possibility to incorporate this into
our solutionary project. One way I think that we could go about approaching this problem is trying to get in contact
with a lawyer or someone who has the power to make legal changes and inform them or ask them to help us to make
change. This would be extremely effective because we would be able to attack this problem at the source which in this
case is dealing with and defining animal cruelty.

MLA Work Cited:

Bagaric, Mirko, et al. “A RATIONAL APPROACH TO SENTENCING OFFENDERS FOR ANIMAL

CRUELTY: A NORMATIVE AND SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS UNDERPINNING
PROPORTIONATE PENALTIES FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY OFFENDERS.” South Carolina Law
Review, 1 Dec. 2019, pp. 385–392.,
web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.librarieshawaii.org:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?
vid=14&sid=ed370756-8070-4c9b-995a-e659d341d663%40sessionmgr4006. 

This is a reputable and reliable article because it is from a book of law which always requires to be proof read and
fact checked multiple times to make sure that the information is reputable and accurate. This journal was also from
December 2019 so the information is not extremely old or outdated

Research Log #5 - Solutionary Project 2021

Date: Monday, March 8th, 2021
Name: Miles Quemuel-Labrador
Central Question: What is animal cruelty? What can be done to stop it?
Thesis: Although usually done behind the scenes, animal cruelty can be identified and certain actions can be taken
to stop it.
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source? When I am describing animal cruelty and sharing that it includes non-
domesticated animals

Excerpts:

Trying to develop and implement welfare policies in animal exploitation centers, “the government created the Farm
Animal Welfare Council”.

The Farm Animal Welfare Council created welfare standards the presented legislation for all over the world: “animals
must be free of hunger and thirst, uncomfortableness, pain, injury and illnesses, fear and distress, and they must be able
to perform normal behaviors.”
Although much has been done to help improve these situations ultimately the livestock industry comes first, “The Five
Freedoms form and logical and comprehensive framework for analysis of welfare within any system together with the
steps and compromises necessary to safeguard and improve welfare within the proper constraints of an effective
livestock industry”.

Commentary and Analysis:

This documentary discussed the actions and procedures that slaughterhouses often use and what the meat
industry tries to hide. Rather than typical animal cruelty regarding domesticated animals and pets this film went over
the livestock that are born and raised to die. In many slaughterhouses the animals often will be emotionally or
physically suffering and no actions by the house or the meat industry is taken. This can be because of unethical
practices by certain locations or the lack of funds that they receive. Often times the animals that are bred and raised in
slaughterhouses are killed and treated immorally. Although these animals provide food for thousands and provide jobs
for many, there has to be a way to improve certain practices.
The Five Freedoms are internationally accepted standards of care that assert every living being’s right to a
humane treatment. They are Freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or
disease; freedom to express normal behavior, and the freedom from fear and distress. The idea behind these freedoms
is that every living being is treated with some sort of care and free from certain troubles in life. These freedoms were
developed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) in 1965 and have been in play since then.
Although much has been done to help improve these situations ultimately the livestock industry comes first,
“The Five Freedoms form logical and comprehensive framework for analysis of welfare within any system together
with the steps and compromises necessary to safeguard and improve welfare within the proper constraints of an
effective livestock industry”. This conveys that ultimately no matter what standards or guidelines are in place the
livestock industry will always come first when deciding between ethics or efficiency. Though there are some things
that can be done. First and foremost being raising awareness on the issue. This can be executed by showing/posting the
graphic images and videos of slaughterhouse tactics on social media for the community to see. Next some sort of call
to action needs to be presented to people whether it be through flyers or adds to urge them to take a stand against these
cruel practices.

MLA Work Cited:

“Slaughterhouse. What the Meat Industry Hides. // Documentary Film.” YouTube, YouTube, 1 Mar. 2018,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VbTT5GUqBk. 

This is a reputable and reliable article because this was a film that showed clips that were not fabricated or tampered
with displaying the cruel actions of some slaughterhouses.

Research Log #6 - Solutionary Project 2021

Date: Monday, March 8th, 2021
Name: Miles Quemuel-Labrador
Central Question: What is animal cruelty? What can be done to stop it?
Thesis: Although usually done behind the scenes, animal cruelty can be identified and certain actions can be taken
to stop it.
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source? Possible solutions to Animal Cruelty

Excerpts:
According to an article by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), “Psychologists report that
many kids who are cruel to animals grow up to be cruel to fellow humans. As an adult, it is your responsibility to teach
children to treat animals respect and kindness. A great way to do this is to be a role model. If you are kind to pets, your
kids are most likely to follow suit”.

One of the best ways to stop animal abuse is to simply take proper care of your pet: “Research shows that a lot of pets
suffer from lack of exercise, inadequate care, and neglect. Know what your pet needs and provide it before it is too
late”.

If you want to contribute to stopping animal cruelty “adopting a pet is a great way to start. Adopting pets will further
stop some of the breeders from attacking strangers. Several dog breeding facilities are operated under poor conditions
that do not meet the required behavioral, psychological, and social dog needs”.

Commentary and Analysis:

This website written by the SPCA provided some possible examples and ideas for ways that we as a
community can contribute to stopping the rates of animal cruelty. Examining the many solutions presented in the
website the commonality between them is that they all attack animal cruelty at the root. An example being that many
times habits resembling animal cruelty are often passed down or continued when younger children see their parents or
their role models exhibiting these habits. This not only hurts the current generation but if these habits are to be
continued and passed on then the rates of animal abuse will only grow.
Somethings that this website provided that are currently being done are that many people are adopting dogs
rather than buying them for breeders. Adopting pets rather than buying them from a breeder provides many benefits for
the animals, one being that often times when animals are rescued from abusive scenarios or bad conditions, they seek
homes; choosing to adopt helps to keep shelters open for new pets and provides new homes for the animals. Another
benefit that comes with adopting is that sometimes dog breeding facilities are operated under poor conditions and do
not meet the certain requirements that most have to.
A world void of animal cruelty is simply unattainable. However, significant steps in the right direction can be
taken to stop the cruelty to animals. One of the main problems of animal abuse is that not enough action is being done
by the community. This could be solved if we were able to get more community support or acknowledgement. By
taking ideas from the website and from other sources, then displaying them on flyers, social media or making videos
presenting the problems of animal cruelty the community will become more involved and aware of the issue (and its
solutions) as a whole.

MLA Work Cited:

“6 Easy Ways to Help Stop Animal Cruelty.” Brandywine Valley SPCA, 30 Sept. 2020, bvspca.org/6-easy-
ways-to-help-stop-animal-cruelty/. 

This is a reputable and reliable article because the SPCA specializes in dealing with and providing solutions for
animal cruelty. This helps to ensure that their information is reliable and reputable.