I refer to the letter Dog cruelly beaten by workers . I cannot agree more with the writer that animals should not be treated as commodities which can be discarded at the whim and fancy of selfish, irresponsible human beings.

Much is needed to be done in educating these people. However, I am of the opinion that education is not sufficient as there have also been instances where well-educated people have behaved in a similar manner. Hence, more should be done to address this.

We need to recognise that hefty penalties and other forms of punishment need to be put in place such as heavy fines or even a jail term depending on the duration of the abandonment of the pet. Abused animals are not able to defend themselves hence their abusers should also be brought to justice with heavier penalties.

The above comments may seem harsh to some readers. However to the poor animals who are left to fend for themselves, they surely can't seem to be harsh enough.