Neglecting a dog is the same as abusing one.

This is the name of a new campaign by the Southern Hope Humane Society in Powder Springs, Georgia. The inspiration for the campaign was a tragic case of neglect in which a beautiful young dog named Angel was chained, starved, and left untreated for a broken leg and pelvis in a local back yard. Her sad photo is featured on a billboard next to the tag line: "Don't get a dog if you can't take care of one." There are also several posters of neglected dogs with pithy, pointed text such as: "If you don't want to go to the vet, there's always jail."

Many people shouldn't acquire dogs at all because of their personal financial situation, their lack of commitment to providing for the well-being of a dog, insufficient time to spend with a dog, or just a basic lack of compassion and empathy for animals. This campaign spells it all out in detail, listing specific reasons not to get a dog, including the various costs of dog-related supplies and services. Additional incentive is provided by a listing of people and the punishments that they received because of their thoughtless and extremely cruel neglect of their own dogs.

Hooray for the Southern Hope Humane Society! I would love to see all humane societies try to be this bold and creative. People need to be shaken out of their complacency. Many people have no idea that this sort of horror goes on every day, while others are well aware but don't realize that it's illegal and punishable and that all they have to do to stop it is pick up the telephone. If you'd like to contribute to this campaign, please visit the Southern Hope donation page.