The purpose of the petition is to stop animal abuse and suffering around the world, especially for dogs and cats. I am specifying dogs and cats because they are the most common animals to interact with human population.

I am a Middle Easterner, and I have seen firsthand the abuse of dogs in Jordan and Egypt on a groundless religious misconception that dogs are filthy. The problem is that the word filthy in Arabic is "niges", and this word has many negative connotations other than unclean, it also means despicable, mean, evil and degenerate, which makes many people think that abusing, torturing or killing dogs is justifiable.

I saw videos showing people in India bludgeoning stray dogs to death, and dogs tortured and killed in Korea and China for meat. Dogs are our trusted companions, they have been protecting people and serving as companions since ancient times. The argument that a practice is a part of a culture does not make it acceptable, slavery was once a part of many cultures.

The benefits and uses of dogs should be taught to children around the world. For example, my diabetic cousin's life, who is 6 years old, was saved by her dog who alerted her parents about her blood sugar level.

In conclusion, unless people are informed about the inherent worth of animals, the rampant abuse will not be stopped. This is unacceptable!