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 On June 16th, 2009 Bonnie and her family returned to their Fortuna home to find their precious cat, Missy, lying in the foyer barely alive. They rushed Missy to the vet, but it was too late. Further examination showed that Missy was a victim of torture.
'Mary' let the family dog, 'Precious' out into their fenced yard in Eureka. Five minutes later she called for her - no response. She searched the yard and neighborhood and placed "Lost Dog" posters all over town. Several months later she was told that Precious had been abducted and killed by a family acquaintance. Another significant case of animal abuse is currently under investigation by the Humboldt County District Attorney's office. The case involves the heinous beating death of a much loved cat perpetrated by a suspect whom had just moved into the neighborhood. When you hear about cats and dogs being abused halfway across the world you may feel sad, your heart goes out to those poor suffering animals - but what can you do? They're far away and you're here in Humboldt County. But it really strikes home when we hear of serious cases of purposeful abuse and torture happening right here in our community. The victims are not nameless animals or strays, they're pets of people we know - our friends, neighbors, and coworkers. What is animal abuse? The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) defines animal abuse or cruelty as purposefully depriving an animal of food, water, shelter, socialization, or veterinary care or maliciously torturing, maiming, mutilating, or killing an animal. These are considered intentional acts that give the abuser pleasure. Statistics show that companion animals are the victims in more than 70% of cruelty cases (source: HSUS, 2003). Over half of the animals involved in these cases died of their wounds or had to be euthanized. According to a 1997 study done by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Northeastern University, animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people than are individuals without a history of animal abuse (source: www.pet-abuse.com). Protecting People and Pets We'd all like to think that these tragedies happen to someone else, that we are immune because no one we know would intentionally harm an animal or person. But the sad fact is that crime happens to all types of people and animals - it crosses the boundaries of gender, age, socio-economic status, and even species. It can happen to you, your family and your pets, and its up to you to keep your pets safe from would be abusers. Simple steps you can take to keep your pets safe: * Make sure your pet is safely confined: Many pets are abducted from their own yard. Your pet is most secure when they are with you or inside your locked home. If your pet is allowed outside unsupervised, secure your yard with a locked gate and tall fencing. Always bring your pets inside at night. * Get to know your neighbors: Neighbors are your eyes and ears - the first line of defense in protecting your pets. Make sure your neighbors know how to contact you if something happens to your pet. If you get the sense that a neighbor doesn't like animals, take extra measures to keep your pet safe. * Make sure your pet wears ID: If something does happen to your pet you want to be informed ASAP. Microchipping is a great way to permanently identify your pet, but a collar and tag with your cell phone number will help a good Samaritan rescuing your pet to contact you more quickly. * Report abuse: If you see someone hurting an animal or person, contact law enforcement immediately. Reporting abuse before it escalates may save a life, and could prevent future incidents of abuse. Who should you contact to report animal abuse? Animal Control officers investigate suspected cases of animal abuse, cruelty and neglect. They are members of law enforcement and are dispatched through your local police, Sheriff or other law enforcement agency. You must first determine what jurisdiction the abuse occurred in (e.g. city, county, state, etc.), then contact the emergency number for that agency (e.g. Eureka Police Dept., Humboldt County Sheriff, California State Parks) - when in doubt, call 911 and ask to be redirected to the appropriate agency. Animal Control works with other law enforcement agencies when investigating cases of criminal abuse. The perpetrator is presumed innocent until proven guilty, so a clear trail of evidence needs to be collected. Without sufficient evidence, the District Attorney's office cannot prosecute the case. How can you help law enforcement bring animal abusers to justice? When animals are harmed - even killed - we become angry and want to see justice served. Our emotions fuel our passion and can motivate us to action, but we need to keep our heads and communicate clearly and factually to law enforcement to help them gather evidence so they can do their jobs effectively. * Document, document, document: As soon as you can, begin writing down the sequence of events that occurred before and after you discovered the abuse. Be specific - include times, dates, names and locations wherever possible. * Witness statements: If there were witnesses who saw the abuse - or if the abuser confessed to someone about hurting the animal - ask the witness to provide a statement to law enforcement describing what they saw or heard. If you feel comfortable, write down what they told you and ask them if they would be willing to sign and date it. * A picture is worth a thousand words: Hard as it is, photos record visual proof of the abuse. Photos should be unaltered and include a time and date stamp, if possible. * Expert testimony: If your pet has been harmed or even killed, bring them to your veterinarian immediately for a professional examination. Ask your vet to record their findings and submit them to law enforcement to be used as evidence. Ask if they would be willing to testify in court, if necessary. * Be persistent: After your initial report, check in with law enforcement to keep up-to-date on the progress of their investigation. Police and Sheriff's deputies have lots of cases they are working on, so they may not get back to you right away - don't get frustrated, just keep calling. Make sure you know your rights and who you should speak to. Document your calls so you know who to follow up with as the investigation proceeds. * Facebook, Letters to the Editor, etc.: You may want to share your experiences with others, either in a need to vent, to warn others to protect their pets and their family, or out of a sense of vengefulness. Just remember that making accusations before a person is convicted can be considered slanderous. Be cautious in your public comments, and consult an attorney if necessary. Animal Abuse, Child Abuse and Domestic Violence - The Connection HSUS statistics show that 15% of intentional cruelty cases also involved some form of concurrent family violence - for example, spouse or child abuse. In many cases, children who abused animals later committed some form of violence against humans. * Brenda Spencer, who opened fire at a San Diego school, killing two children and injuring nine others, had repeatedly abused cats and dogs, often by setting their tails on fire. * Carroll Edward Cole, executed for five of the 35 murders of which he was accused, said his first act of violence as a child was to strangle a puppy. * Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer had impaled dogs' heads, frogs, and cats on sticks. By reporting animal abuse you are helping to prevent serious crimes against yourself, your family and your community. For more information about animal abuse visit the following websites: www.sequoiahumane.org, www.hsus.org, www.americanhumane.org and www.pet-abuse.com humane@sequoiahumane.org |
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