For some people, tossing aside an animal is as easy as throwing away yesterday’s trash.

For others, pets are family, and the idea of abusing or abandoning them is foreign as neglecting your children.

And yet, sadly, there exist monsters among us who have no problem hurting, discarding or even killing an animal.

This summer bore witness to several disturbing cases of animal abuse, neglect and killing throughout the region.

From dozens of cats locked in crates left to die in the woods to dogs tied to posts and shot in the face.

There is an even sadder reality than the number of defenseless animals that die each year at the hands of their owners.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates 2.7 million of the approximate 7.6 million cats and dogs entering shelters overrun with unwanted pets are euthanized each year.

Society is often quick to jump on the bandwagon about aggressive dogs and violent animals.

What we don’t stop to consider is that animals, like children, are manifestations of our own actions.

How we treat them and raise them is how they, in turn, treat the world around them.

And for a dog considered aggressive — the chances of finding a “forever home” from the pound are slim to none.

With that in mind, we applaud the efforts of the Butler County Humane Society for thinking outside the box and discovering innovative ways to give a second chance to abandoned dogs with challenging behaviors.

Last week, the organization partnered with its counterparts from the Washington Area Humane Society, and brought in specialized trainers from the nonprofit group Dogs Playing for Life.

Tucker Eurman, the group’s director of shelter programs, said the goal is to improve the quality of life for potentially troublesome dogs, thereby upping their odds of being adopted.

By pooling resources, the joint training offered staff from both locations important lessons in how to help socialize dogs who never benefited from loving homes where they were considered a member of the family and not just an animal.

Moreover, it aimed to change the way we look at animals in shelters, dogs in particular.

Instead of seeing unwanted dogs cooped up in cages, the organization works to help staff see their shelters more as a doggy day care by encouraging play among shelter animals. For many animals finding themselves in shelters — fun and play are two key ingredients likely lacking for most of their lives.

By helping staff transform their own perception of how they view the animals entrusted in their care, the effort will — we hope and expect — foster a much different perception about how the public views abandoned and abused dogs.