OUR LIVES BEGIN TO END
THE DAY WE BECOME SILENT ABOUT THINGS THAT MATTER !
Animal Cruelty Cases
The - Whys and Whats ?
by
Joanna Toms
Cruelty Caseworker
Pet Abuse.com
August 16, 2005
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Man Stabs/Tortures Womans Dog to Death During Dispute
A man stabbed a dog to death during a dispute with a woman and threw the carcass at officers who arrived after the woman called police, police said. Robert E. Williams, 32, was being held in the Marion County Jail on Aug 14 on $3,000 bond on a preliminary charge of torturing an animal.
Jacquelyn M. Brandy, 21, called police on Aug 12, telling officers Williams had used a butcher knife to repeatedly stab the animal, which had been given to her as a gift.
Williams told police the animal had growled at him.
When officers arrived at the east side apartment, Williams threw the dog's body at them, police said.
And ...
2-month old goat sexually assaulted
Puppy sexually assaulted by Previously convicted 17 year old pedophile
Dogs Tongue Ripped out
Pit-Bulls Found Skinned Alilve
With the volume of cases I process, these examples are the every day norm here at Pet-Abuse.com.
I see it over and over again. To answer some of ones most basic questions... why and what?
Passive and Active Cruelty... which is which:
Passive cruelty is typified by cases of neglect, where the crime is a lack of action rather than the action itself - however do not let the terminology fool you. Severe animal neglect can cause incredible pain and suffering to an animal.
Examples of neglect are starvation, dehydration, parasite infestations, allowing a collar to grow into an animal's skin, inadequate shelter in extreme weather conditions, and failure to seek veterinary care when an animal needs medical attention.
In many cases of neglect where an investigator feels that the cruelty occurred as a result of ignorance, they may attempt to educate the pet owner and then revisit the situation to check for improvements. In more severe cases however, exigent circumstances may require that the animal is removed from the site immediately and taken in for urgent medical care.
Active cruelty implies malicious intent, where a person has deliberately and intentionally caused harm to an animal, and is sometimes referred to as NAI (Non-Accidental Injury). Acts of intentional cruelty are often some of the most disturbing and should be considered signs of serious psychological problems. This type of behavior is often associated with sociopathic behavior and should be taken very seriously.
Animal abuse in violent homes can take many forms and can occur for many reasons. Many times a parent or domestic partner who is abusive may kill, or threaten to kill, the household pets to intimidate family members into sexual abuse, to remain silent about previous or current abuse, or simply to psychologically torture the the victims, flexing their "power".
While the exact reasons for intentional animal cruelty may vary, nine typologies have been identified by Kellert and Felthous (1895, 1122-1124). In the cases within the animal cruelty database, we see these typologies over and over:
1: to control an animal
2: to retaliate against an animal
3: to retaliate against another person
4: to satisfy a prejudice against a species or breed
5: to express anger through an animal
6: to enhance one's own aggressiveness
7: to shock people for amusement
8: to displace hostility from a person to an animal
9: to perform non-specific sadism
Reference: Kellert, S.R. and A.R. Felthous. 1895. Childhood cruelty to animals among criminals and non-criminals. Human Relations 38:1113-29.
Note: It is not uncommon for the animal abuser to admit to authorities that they killed an animal to get back at a person they were angry at, or to "punish" the animal for bad behavior.
I could load you up on information but I am hoping that you have not hit your delete key by now. Please understand that while there are many happy, loved animals in this country. There are the ones on the 'other side'. The tormented, the tortured, where cruelty and inhumane treatment is thier only known way to live and survive. There are those out there that have been and still are suffereing at a person's hand.
This informationcould assist those that are making every effort to educate the public about these animal cruelty cases and how they can be prevented and reported.
Sincerely,
Joanna Toms
Cruelty Caseworker
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The solutions to the problem of homeless dogs and cats are right there in your own community,
and you can be a part of making it all happen !
A study conducted by Northeastern University and the Massachusetts SPCA found that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against humans. The majority of inmates scheduled to be executed for murder at California's San Quentin penitentiary "practiced" their crimes on animals, according to the warden.
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So many words, so many creeds,
so many paths that wind and wind,
when just the art of being kind,
is all this sad world needs .....
