The five pound chain was so tight it had turned into a deadly noose. The wound was so deep it was nearly to the bone. No food. No water. Locked in a yard, alone and covered in feces. Brutus had only a few days to live.

The paragraph above is the opening of the ASPCA's (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), letter to appeal to human's kind, tender, and caring soul. They know they are out there-- somewhere. But they also know that as much as they love animals, it emotionally tears them apart to actually look at the horrid pictures, and read the stories of these abused and neglected 'gifts from heaven'. So as often happens within our society, we turn a blind eye; thinking that somehow, someway, maybe it will all just disappear if we pretend it's not out there; if we shield ourselves from the ugliness of the world, and the evilness that is inflicted on these living creatures who only want what we all want and need- love, shelter, food, and human kindness.

People, we can't keep turning our head hoping that someone else will step in and do something. You and I are the ones who are going to have to take action. If the very souls who love animals the most won't do anything, than how can we expect other's to step up to the plate and save these poor, forgotten animals?

There's a certain commercial that comes on television, that when it comes on, I literally walk out of the room. The first time I watched it, the pictures they show with those sad, crying eyes looking into the camera, with a beautiful, soul-touching song playing from the background, left me blubbering like a baby. It made me really take a look at myself. How can I keep making excuses? "Oh, it just hurts me too much to work with abused and neglected animals; I'd stay depressed all the time. Someone who can handle it better will have to help them; I can send them a little money, but I can't see them suffer."

No one wants to see these beautiful animals suffer. No one is built for such an emotionally draining, and gut-wrenching job. I turned the page on the ASPCA bulletin:

You might think that ASPCA staff members would be hard to shock. We see so much neglect and abuse of innocent animals; we should be hardened by now.


But we never are.

Every case like Brutus's ... every kitten hurled from a window onto pavement below ... every rooster allowed to kill or be killed in vicious cockfights ... every dog beaten or left to die of starvation, exposure or dehydration - every time, we still cry.

Do you see? They do not leave the dirty work for others. Yes, they still cry, but they continue:

Witnessing so much suffering keeps us absolutely determined to stop the horrible epidemic of animal cruelty that causes millions of deaths - immeasurable pain - every year.

I know it's painful. Believe me, it has taken me a long time to get to the point beyond being afraid to witness such cruelty- no, that's not right- I'll never be beyond the point of being afraid to witness such horrible cruelty. I'll never get beyond the point of tears streaming down my face when I look into crying, desperate and fearful eyes of those beautiful fur-baby souls. My emotional pain and mental anguish is only relieved by knowing atleast I'm a small part of helping these animals get out of their personal hell; of knowing I am fighting to promote the punishment of the abusers, and justice for abused and neglected animals. And knowing that for each person I reach- whether it's to help support abused animals physically and/or monetarily- that the one contact I make could literally save thousands of animals.

The pain is lessened when I hear or see one more animal that no one thought would make it, not only pull through and live; but now live with shining bright eyes, a wagging tail, and most of all hope for a happy future full of love.

Fortunately, Brutus's story has a happy ending, and it took a lot of hard work and effort. His rescue and rehabilitation happened because people like you, gave from the heart.

Will you step up to the plate and help be a happy ending for many abused and neglected animals? I'm not going to lie to you- it's not easy. But the feel-good rewards of helping to save animals, far out-weigh the emotional pain of knowing abused animals excist but you're not doing anything about it because it's too painful. Look into a pet's eyes that's close to your heart; can you imagine your beloved pet going through the torture that so many pets have to live through daily?

I didn't think so. You have the choice to make a difference. Be a hero- step up to the plate.

-Paragraphs in Bold are direct statements taken from a recent ASPCA Bulletin