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1) The animal rights viewpoint is basically that humans do not have the right to use animals for their own gain at all—in the laboratory, on the farm, in entertainment or in the wild.

2) The animal welfare viewpoint advocates for limiting or preventing cruel treatment of animals.

3) According to the animal welfare perspective, human use of animals is acceptable if animal suffering is preventable. In practice however it is not always that simple to make this distinction between animal rights and animal welfare positions.

4) In many cases, organizations or individuals who describe themselves as animal rights advocates may support animal welfare efforts as an intermediate step on the path to a true animal rights solution.

5) Behind the cute pet store showroom is an entire industry of inhumane animal breeding.

6) These operations treat animals with hormones and antibiotics to prevent disease.

7) Since 1600, more than 700 species of plants and animals have gone extinct.

8) An estimated 2,000,000 animals are used in research in the U.S. each year.

9) Cruel treatment comes in many forms - learn about them and see what you can do.

10) There are 4-6 million homeless pets in the U.S. in need of a good home.

11) Most people who abuse animals don't do it on purpose. They hurt animals because they don't think about or realize what they are doing.

12)
 * Some people hurt animals even though they think they're helping them by taking in more pets than they can handle. These people are called hoarders. The motivation comes from a good place, but unfortunately, the animals end up living in a place that's cramped, dirty and unhealthy.

13) The next biggest group of animal abusers does it on purpose, but only for a short period of time. For example, a group of kids may decide to throw rocks at a nest of baby birds they happened to see, or they may hurt a stray cat in their neighborhood

14) This last group of people who hurt animals is the worst. These are people who intentionally hurt animals because they enjoy hurting others or because it makes them feel powerful.

15) Intentionally hurting animals for any reason is serious. In most states, those caught doing this will face harsher punishment than those who hurt animals unintentionally. However, these people usually don't hurt animals more than a few times. They learn to think about how others feel, and they learn to stand up for themselves. This group can be helped through education and support, too.