Andrea Rosebrock 
Came across this article and it is speaking about the cruelties in Philadelphia, PA but as I read it, to me it could be almost any metropolitan city today. Article after article and story after story of abuses and neglect and cruelties against animals!
It seriously makes you wonder what the hell is wrong with people today. Have we lost all empathy and compassion? Is there no feeling for living creatures anymore. And so many of the abusers are young, it is just scary! Read on and see if you don’t ‘recognize’ many of the stories… they could come from almost anywhere today.
After recent dog-fighting and pet “hoarding” discoveries, the Pennsylvania SPCA declared yesterday that an animal-cruelty “epidemic” was sweeping Philadelphia.
On Saturday, a PSPCA agent discovered a pit-bull fighting house with 18 dogs. Three days earlier, 62 cats and dogs were found hoarded in a feces-filled Northeast rowhouse, a situation that PSPCA officers called “one of the worst cases of cruelty they have ever seen,” said Howard Nelson, the agency’s chief executive officer.
Meanwhile, a reward for information on the dumping of dead pit bulls in Fairmount Park has been increased to $3,000. Four have been found there in recent weeks.
“We are concerned that there are many more animals in our area that are suffering from abuse and neglect,” Nelson said.
Besides fighting, pit bulls have been subjected to hoarding. Last month, the PSPCA discovered 17 that had been placed in a moving truck by a woman leaving her Oxford Circle home.
“In many hoarding cases, the individuals believe they are helping animals by taking them in, but in reality they are doing more harm than good,” Nelson said.
“You cannot properly care for that many cats and dogs at one time, especially in a small house in the city. The animals are better off at the shelter, where they will be cared for until they are adopted,” he said.
In the latest cruelty case, on Saturday night, authorities were led to 1198 Adams Ave. in Frankford, where PSPCA Officer Tony Beltram found dog-training equipment, including a treadmill and a water tank with chains to keep dogs from jumping out.
“They make the dogs tread water for hours on end,” PSPCA Officer Wayne Smith said.
Also found was a “breaking stick” for prying a dog’s jaws open, planks for a fighting ring, a medical kit with syringes, a “rape stand” for mating dogs, and a staple gun.
One of the 18 dogs rescued from the house had old gashes in its back that had been stapled shut.
No perpetrators were at the house, but investigators are following several leads, Smith said.
Since the summer, the bodies of four pit bulls have been found in Fairmount Park. Near two of them, authorities found spent bullet casings.
The original $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved was boosted by a $2,500 pledge from the Humane Society of the United States.
Last Wednesday, authorities found 46 cats and 16 dogs packed in a filthy Northeast Philadelphia house, along with a 63-year-old woman tenant who was involuntarily committed for psychiatric evaluation.
The owner of the house, Jerri Sueck, 51, was cited for failure to provide proper veterinary care and sanitary conditions.
Since the discovery, 10 of the animals were euthanized because of their poor medical conditions, officials said. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Hoarding seems to be turning into a real problem within the last couple of years. I am continually asked if I will adopt, foster or “just hang onto” a dog that someone doesn’t want around any longer. Unfortunately, I can’t do it. I’m at my limit for animals. I realize & readily accept that I can only care properly for a limited number. I could see myself becoming a hoarder, just to give the animals a place to be where they will be valued. But it’s too easy to become overwhelmed & the expense is something that absolutely must be considered if proper care & attention is to be given. I hate telling people “no, I can’t take your unwanted animals- again”. I do my level best to place the animals in appropriate environments. But I can’t fix every problem that I had no part in creating. It sounds harsh, but among the rescue community, there’s a saying- “you can’t save them all”. Sad, but too true.
These things are happening across the nation and I truly believe it is a reflection of our society. I don’t remember who said it- but remember the quote: You can judge the greatness and soul of a nation by how they treat their animals. As people lose more and more hope and struggle to survive- they seem to care less and become cruel in their treatment of those beings they consider inferior. How sad for us all- but it does seem to “run down hill”. There are always bright spots as in the case of Morgan-but those seem to be happening less and less often. We-as a society and individuals- have to make a real effort to turn this around.