Animal cruelty has been a problem for many years. In 2011, 1,423 cases of animal abuse were reported. Of the 1,423 animals, 70% were dogs, 20% were cats, and 24% were other animals. The most commonly reported animal abuse involves dogs, cats, horses and livestock. In 2016, animal cruelty was added to the Uniform Crime Report, making it officially illegal in the United States. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the largest sources of animal cruelty is dog fighting. Dog fighting is a bloody sport in which dogs are forced to fight each other for fun. Dog fighting is illegal and a crime in the United States, although it still occurs. Many dogs suffer from injuries such as puncture wounds, broken bones, lacerations and blood loss. Losing dogs are often killed as part of the sport. It is estimated that tens of thousands of dog fights occur in the United States. Dogs that participate in fights are usually bred in captivity and spend most of their lives chained. Dogs are also conditioned using drugs and other harmful substances. Another example of animal abuse is animal hoarding, animal hoarding occurs when a person takes in more animals than they can care for. Animal hoarding often leads to starvation and injuries due to neglect. In many cases the animals live in dilapidated houses with holes in the walls and floors, etc. The house may be covered in dried feces, vomit and urine. The hoarder may also neglect to take care of himself and insist that he and his pets be happy and healthy. In the United States, approximately a quarter of a million animals die each year due to hoarding. All states in the United States recognize animal hoarding as cruelty. There are also many companies known as Puppy Mills that abuse and neglect dogs every day. Puppy mills are similar to animal hoarding in that they neglect dogs and don't provide them with enough food, veterinary care, or socialization. Puppy mills sell puppies to pet stores and sometimes directly to customers, usually having genetic problems or diseases due to the poor conditions in which they were born. Additionally, many puppies have behavioral problems because they were not properly socialized and were removed from their mothers at an early age. Due to the large amount of dogs housed in these puppy mills, their cages are usually stacked on top of each other exposing dangerous wires that can injure the puppies' paws. Many of these mills are not licensed or inspected, making it completely illegal. The latest example of animal abuse is horse slaughter, horse slaughter is often confused with euthanasia, which is completely false. Horse slaughter occurs when horses are killed for human consumption. Horse slaughter occurs by taking innocent horses and killing them in cruel ways, then shipping them to other countries to be consumed. In 2006, a total of three slaughterhouses killed approximately 104,000 horses. In the United States the slaughterhouses were closed, which didn't help the problem at all, now horses are sent abroad to Mexico or Canada to be killed. Most of the horses killed in these homes are killed in very cruel ways, such as dismembering the horses while they are still conscious. Many times, when horses are no longer wanted or needed, they are auctioned off and sold for pounds. The horses come.