A funny joke is a funny joke. Nobody is advocating for animal abuse.
I dont find jokes about harming animals funny. Once again, just cause it's a joke doesn't make it ok. And most the time I find people joking about these things hate the animal and the joke is about how funny it would be to do that to the animal. Just because you put a disclaimer that you really wouldn't do that doesn't make the joke any funnier.
as I said, funny how no one things jokes about how you'd kick that large dog funny. It's always at the expense of small animals that aren't considered as much man's best friend as a dog. Nor do you are jokes about kicking the baby out the window as funny and it would be considered poor taste.
hell, how come many can agree jokes about raping women are not funny(unless it's really making fun of the rapists) but some how jokes about harming little animals is ok? those are just jokes too. I mean, that makes it ok long as I'm not really advocating we really do it, right?
point is joking about this stuff does make it seem less bad. The reason we don't joke about raping women or harming large dogs is because we see it as a bad thing and we don't want to make light of it as if it's a funny thing. So how come cats and small dogs are fair game? They are living things too and honestly just as innocent as large dogs.