Upon starting my research, I almost immediately realized how broad of a topic animal abuse and neglect is. For one, it happens in varying degrees of extremeness from all-out abuse to hiring irresponsible pet-sitters. Secondly, I found the amount of information available incredibly overwhelming. Digging deeper, I learned that animal abuse and neglect starts from childhood, often the product of a harsh family life. In fact, torturing animals is one of the first warning signs of a troubled child, often leading to the development of a serial killer.