Kittens Killed After Shelter Break-In...

Although the kittens in the picture are not the ones from the story - they are four weeks old - the same age as the ones killed at the shelter. To be able to do that has to take someone with a cold cold heart!

Wednesday September 10, 2008

Animal shelter workers are trying to figure out who killed 10 kittens - and why.

A parking lot sweeper found six dead kittens Thursday - the day after the animals were stolen from Springdale Animal Services. Five of the kittens were four weeks old and were taken from their mother, who was pining for them.

"We've been asking 'why' all day," said Teresa Johnson, the shelter's assistant manager. "Why?"

The six dead kittens were among 20 cats released from their cages during a break-in Wednesday, said Jill Hatfield, the superintendent of the Fayetteville Animal Shelter. Four other dead kittens were found at the Springdale shelter.

"They did terrible things," she said. "Some were thrown in dog pens inside the shelter. Luckily none of the dogs did anything."

The fate of the other 10 kittens wasn't known. It's possible they escaped.

Nothing was stolen in the break-in.

The Humane Society of the Ozarks is offering a $2,500 reward.

Police are investigating whether the break-in is related to one at the Fayetteville shelter last month. The night of Aug. 9, someone freed dogs and cats from their cages.

"They didn't harm any of the animals at our shelter, so we aren't sure if the two incidents are related," Hatfield said.

Animal cruelty is a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum sentence of one year in jail. Arkansas is one of only five states in the country with animal cruelty laws that do not have felony provisions.

"We want these folks caught," Hatfield said.

If you have information on this case, please contact:
Springdale Police Department
(479 ) 750-4484

Update:
The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $ 2, 500 reward for information in connection with the break-in at Springdale Animal Services that left 11 kittens dead and 10 more missing.

Someone entered through an unlocked window overnight Wednesday at 321 Randall Wobbe Road, opened all the cat cages and killed four kittens by throwing them against the ground, shelter officials said.

Seven kittens wearing shelter collars were found dead Thursday morning in The Home Depot parking lot at 675 E. Joyce Blvd. in Fayetteville.

(Pet-Abuse.com)

Dogs And Puppies Neglected, Some Found Dead...

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Animal control was called out to a house in Madill after dead puppies and malnourished dogs were found in the backyard. Authorities say residents have already been warned about an excessive number of animals living in the home. KTEN's Hailee Holliday reports.

Over 15-dogs were either chained up or in pens in the backyard and 4-puppies were found dead.

Animal control and police were notified about the situation at the house on 3rd street.

The residents of the house were not home at the time.

Authorities say the dogs were extremely malnourished and having this many animals in the city is against the law.

They also claim more dogs were inside the house.

Animal Control Officer, Jeremy Proctor, says, "You're only allowed to have 3 dogs within city limits so these people have way too many. We're going to do an investigation and we're going to take the dogs outside the residence and do a further investigation to see what else needs to be done.'

There have been no charges so far on the owner of the dogs.

Animal control say they will pick up the dogs and have a veterinarian check them.

Authorities say if charged, the owner of the dogs could face animal cruelty charges.

(Pet-Abuse.com)

More and More I Become...

For the past two years I have been getting my Bachelors of Science in Humane Leadership. This is a degree that the Humane Society of the United States put together with Duquense University. They have also created a Masters Degree in Community Leadership, which I may continue with. While doing research for some of my classes, I have delved into places that I never knew existed. With the help from Mark (he is on a new diet) and this degree, I am moving more and more towards a vegetarian.

When did this realization hit me? Well first I mad point of trying not to eat meat when I did not know where it came from. Luckily we have many farms around this area that raise their animals humanely and never abuse them (as with most slaughter houses). So I felt fine eating meat on occasion. Then one morning (about three days ago) I was making scrambled eggs from my daughter and then the light went on - this is an embryo (or one day could have been). Then I asked myself would I eat a human embryo? The thought sounded gross and made my stomach turn a little.

Tonight I made tacos and as I was cooking the meat I again started to think - I am cooking the decaying flesh of a cow. Yes I said decaying because once things die they start to decay. Then the smell hit me and again my stomach turned a little. I then added the taco spices and the smell went away, but the thought was still there. I did eat it but not with the same enjoyment that I used to have.

Then more realizations hit me. This was a sentient creature (Sentience is the ability to feel or perceive subjectively.) (wikipedia) At one time this piece of meat that I am eating could feel. What right do I have to take part in the death of this animal? I then started to associate all the meats that I used to eat and (finally) connect them to the animal. It may sound stupid but I would not make the connection in my mind's eye that the ham for Chirstmas was once a pig. That the hamburger, the steak, the roast, was once a cow.

This was very disturbing to me. It was disturbing that I could so easily disconnect from reality and think that what I was eating did not have any affect on the other creature in this world. That there are so many people out there that probably have the same disconnect. If they watched the video Meet Your Meat and not feel completely disgusted and have the light go on for them as well I would be surprised.

A vegitarian. This is more and more what I become.

Hoarding Case...

Two have been charged in animal cruelty. As I read the article, disgust, anger, and sadness filled my vains. Only people that are mentally unstable could possible think that what they are doing is right. According to the article, "The Harpins...didn’t know why their animals were dying. They were very angry (that animal control) were taking the animals away from them, and they didn’t offer any information. They simply said ‘We’re taking care of them, but they’re dying, there’s nothing we can do.’"

"Ferrets, rabbits, cats, three lizards, a tarantula, a boa constrictor, a chinchilla and a starving dog were among the animals in the home on Route 5 in Passumpsic. Also found was a decomposing animal of unknown type in a pot on a stove, and more than a dozen partially frozen dead animals in a refrigerator freezer.

I hate it when I hear about cases like this. According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), animal hoarding is one of the greatest causes of animal suffering in the United States, resulting in more injuries, suffering, and deaths to animals than intentional acts of cruelty perpetrated by animal abusers. What is animal hoarding? The definition that follows is from Tufts.edu:

The following criteria are used to define animal hoarding:

• More than the typical number of companion animals
  
• Inability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and veterinary care, with this neglect often resulting in starvation, illness, and death
• Denial of the inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household, and human occupants of the dwelling

Many people truly believe that what they are doing is better than what anyone else could do. Even if their animals are dying. I have had people tell me that they they could not possibly take the animals into the humane society because they knew that they would kill them. One lady told me this as I walked through more than a couple of inches of cat feces, spiderwebs, and fleas jumping on and off me. The lady that lived in this house was in her 80's, had no family and the department of the government that deals with the elderly told me that WE were not doing enough for her.

How can we as a society neglet people like this? How can government officials sit in their offices knowing that this poor women was denied travel on the local bus to get her groceries because other people on the bus were getting flea bites? The official that I was dealing with told me that she wasn't that bad off. Her oven we cakes in black something and the top of the stove was covered in cat feces. She had more than 20 cats living inside and out. When I met with her one day she was crying. When I asked her why, she told me that her favorite two cats had died and she had to throw them in the dumpster behind her house. This is OK?!

This is why I hate it when I hear about cases like this one. Read the rest of the article here. The image above is not from the case in the article. It's from Best Friends Network.

Kittens Trapped In Wall...

Puppy Mill In Michigan...

The owner of Lornich Kennels in Sterling Heights has a long history of animal neglect, according to a Local News 4 report.

Court documents showed hundreds of complaints and lawsuits were filed over the years against the owner, Lorri Nichiow.

Police and volunteers rescued about 60 dogs, a dozen cats and a horse at Lornich Kennels on 15 Mile and Mound roads in Sterling Heights Wednesday after an abuse complaint against Nichiow was filed last week.

Nichiow was investigated in 2004 after animal control found the kennel overcrowded. They said they also found unclean cages, some animals without drinking water and animals shivering.

Local 4 also learned Nichiow was convicted of animal cruelty and her license was suspended in 2005. In 2007, Nichiow was convicted with six counts of animal abandonment or cruelty and six dogs were seized and taken for medical treatment.

Both the Attorney General's Office and the Better Business Bureau said they received dozens of complaints over the years.

(via Pet-Abuse.com)

Read more about this puppy mill here.

Terrier Beaten Accused Dead...

On March 3rd, Rudy the Jack Russell terrier’s body was supposed to be found dead and buried in the snow. The accused, a 61-year-old man, told police that he beat the dog to death and buried it in a snow bank. When the police and the owners went to get Rudy, they found him still alive, but just barely.

According to the police report, the owner called police saying there was a man in the Wells Street area with a firearm, and that he had bludgeoned her dog to death.

Grysko didn't return telephone messages. According to police, Grysko at first denied beating the dog, and then admitted to burying it in the snow bank, and showed officers where he had put the dog.

Grysko is due in Brattleboro District Court on April 1 to answer to charges of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Bemis couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday, and Bellows Falls Police Chief Ron Lake said he had no knowledge about the case.

"I'm glad to hear the dog's going to survive," Lake said.

(via Pet-Abuse.com)

Grysko, the accused, decided that he couldn’t take living any longer so he took his own life.

Edward Grysko, a 61-year-old Westminster man accused of striking a Parson Russell terrier dog and burying it alive in the snow last week, is thought to have committed suicide Wednesday morning, police said.

Grysko decided to end his life, in part, because of his arrest in the highly publicized animal cruelty case, police said.

Grysko was found behind his work place, General Truck and Equipment in Westminster, with a gunshot wound to the head, police said; a handgun and suicide note were left behind.

The type of gun and note’s content were not disclosed. State police did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday evening.

Grysko was “depressed and despondent” over his arrest in the animal cruelty case and the untimely death of his youngest son, which occurred two years ago, police learned through interviews with family and friends.

Grysko faced aggravated animal cruelty charges for beating the 14-year-old Parson Russell terrier early last week; according to police, he said he was angered because the dog “nipped at somebody.”

(via Pet-Abuse.com)

800 Dogs Seized...

On March 12, a huge story broke in Tucson, Az. Around 800 small dogs were seized from a triple-wide mobile home of Wanda and Bill Jones. As with many hoarding cases, the dogs were kept in filthy living conditions. Some dogs were pregnant and giving birth as they were being transported to the shelter.

Jenny Rose, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, said 96 dogs were removed from the house on Monday and about another 700 were taken out Wednesday. "This is twice the numbers that we've ever seen before, twice as big as our previous record-breaker," Rose said. "The home was definitely in very bad condition, urine and feces all over the home, in the kitchen and bedroom, with a very strong odor," she said. "Obviously, 800 dogs in a triple-wide mobile home, they were packed in there. That being said, they were in pretty good shape."

(via Pet-Abuse.com)

Along with the dogs, investigators also found 82 caged parrots. How do we let things get to this stage? Animal shelters and humane societies run on very little money as well as very little staff. There is a lot of bad in the world when it comes to animals and most shelters are trying to do it all themselves.

On the upside, there has been a huge turnout from the community to adopt these dogs.

In the days since local law enforcement and Humane Society of Southern Arizona officials rounded up 752 dogs from an Avra Valley breeder, scores of people have inundated the shelter seeking to adopt the animals. As of Monday, March 17, 460 dogs and cats taken from the property on the 12200 block of West Manville Road had found new homes, according to Humane Society spokeswoman Jenny Rose.

(via Pet-Abuse.com)

The couple started to raise these dogs and sell them to interested people. But as time progressed, they started to sell fewer and fewer until they became hoarders. So what is a hoarder, you ask?

An April 1, 2000, article in the Psychiatric Times refers to a study of animal hoarders, offering this definition: “… someone who accumulates a large number of animals; fails to provide minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation and veterinary care; and fails to act on the deteriorating condition of the animals …” An estimated 700 to 2,000 new cases of animal hoarding occur every year in the United States, according to the article.

(via Pet-Abuse.com)

Hoarders believe that they are the only people that can take care of the animals. They feel some unhealthy attachment to the animals and as a few become more and more, the owners become unable to properly care for them. The house fills with urine and feces as the owners fall deeper and deeper into the inability to care for the animals. There is a strong denial of the inability to provide this minimum care and this impacts the animals, the household, and human occupants of the dwelling.

Below is a picture of the "people of interest".

Marine Mistreats Puppy...

This is a disturbing video of a marine tossing a puppy off a cliff in Iraq. The video show three Marines laughing while one of the Marines holds the puppy by the scruff of the neck. After laughing at the puppy, the Marine that is holding the puppy tosses the puppy over a cliff (more than likely to its death). The other Marines laugh and tell him that that was mean. All the Marines laughed at the incident! The Marine that tossed the puppy didn't seem to care!

The Marine that killed the puppy is now back in Hawaii and the Marine Corp is investigating. The Marine Corp has released a statement stating:

"This video is shocking and deplorable and is contrary to the high standards we expect of every Marine... We do not tolerate this type of behavior and will take appropriate action."

This video is very disturbing and is the reason that most of the world hates the U.S. When you see people like this Marine laughing at the senseless murder of another living creature, it pisses people off. It pissed me off. Below is the video from MSNBC:



The part of this story that nobody seems to connect is something that I had written about in an earlier post called Cruelty: The Animal/Human Connection. The problem that many people seem to overlook is the fact that this man (allegedly) abused a puppy and may carry the abuse over to humans.

In three surveys in women’s shelters in Wisconsin and Utah in the late 1990’s an average of 74% of pet-owning women reported that a pet had been threatened, injured or killed by the abusers. (Ascione 1995 &1997 and Quinlisk, 1995)

A study by the Royal SPCA in Great Britain found that 83% of families with a history of animal abuse had also been identified by the social service agencies as at-risk for child abuse or neglect. (Hutton, 1981)

“FBI Special Agent Alan Brantley, who works in the bureau’s behavioral science unit, said agents asked 36 multiple murderers in prison if they had abused animals. About a third said they killed and tortured animals as children, and about half said they did it as adolescents.” LA Times Magzine

Animal Testing...

As I have mentioned in previous posts, we are members of the local coop. Today I just received their bi-monthly newsletter and in it was an article on "Cloned Animal Products" and "Clorox Going Green". Nothing in the article about Clorox mentioned that they still do animal testing. The coop only seemed excited that a "small environmentally-responsible body care product company" could possibly encourage Clorox to go "green". Being an animal advocate, I of course had to write them and explain why Clorox is still evil. To find out what companies are still using inhumane animal testing, go here:
Caring Consumer

Below is my email to the editor of the newsletter and the Wellness manager (who wrote the article on Clorox).

I am a member of the Hunger Mountain Coop and an animal advocate. I just read the March/April edition of "The Full Scoop" and noticed that there was another article on Burt's Bees and Clorox. The article tells of how Clorox will be going "green" by 2013, but it doesn't mention anything about how Clorox is still doing animal testing for their products. This bothered me since the first article was concerning "Cloned Animal Products" and how the Coop "opposes the practice of animal cloning and will not knowingly sell products derived from cloned animals". I would like to ask what the policy is for carrying products from companies that do testing on animals? I hope you feel the same about animal testing as you do about animal cloning. Your commitment to the environment is admirable, please tell me that the same applies to saving our animals.

The process of testing products on animals is now looked on as archaic by most since there are non-animal test available. One of the test that companies use is the Draize Eye Irritancy Test. This is an acute toxicity test devised in 1944 by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) toxicologist John H. Draize. The procedure involves applying 0.5mL or 0.5g of a test substance to an animal's eye or skin for four hours. The animals are observed for up to 14 days, for signs of erythema and edema in the skin test, and redness, swelling, discharge, ulceration, hemorrhaging, cloudiness, or blindness in the tested eye. The test subject is commonly an albino rabbit. According to the National Anti-Vivisection Society, the animals are killed after the test. (Wikipedia) Another test is the “Lethal Dose Test”. This is where certain chemicals are pumped into the stomach and lungs of the test animals until they die. These test should not happen since scientist have developed artificial skin and bones on which products can be tested. Scientist can even test vaccines with out the use of animals.

But some companies, such as Clorox, still feel the need to do testing on animals. I understand that Hunger Mountain Coop is looking to help the environment, but I hope that you are also looking to help the animals that are needlessly tested on and then killed because certain companies have decided that animal testing is good for America. Although I may not be purchasing Clorox, I am still giving money to a company that test on animals when I purchase something like Burt's Bees. This is not good. I would like to know that your organization feels the same about animal testing as it does about the environment. Although Clorox is now working to go green (good thing), there is nothing that states they are stopping animal testing!!!

Thank you for your time,

Paul

I have also included a video put out by PETA about animal testing.

Three Dogs Shot...

A father faces three felony counts of animal cruelty charges after investigators say he admitted to killing his family's three dogs.

Forty-one year old Sheldon Johnson, nicknamed Tex, was arrested Tuesday after investigators say he became angry at his children because they were not taking care of their two pitbull puppies and dalmation and shot them execution style in front of the children.

"As a father myself it's hard for me to believe that anybody would do this in front of their kids," said Buncombe County Sheriff's Public Information Officer Ross Dillingham. "It doesn't make any sense. It's disgusting."

According to a police report, Johnson returned home around 1:30 Tuesday morning afand had been drinking. He then became involved in a domestic argument with his fiance and children over what he thought was a lack of care for the animals, grabbed a gun, went outside and shot the dogs.

"It's unexcusable to show that to any child, any age," said Julie Frizsell, Johnson's neighbor. "Those dogs didn't do anything. It shocked me. I was speechless. Those kids were innocent and those dogs were innocent. He deserves to be punished."

Investigators tell WSPA-TV that Johnson, who has been released on bail, has also faced previous charges of assault, driving while impaired and hit-and-run.

To see News Video:
WSPA - Angry Dad Shoots Dogs

Four Dogs Poisoned...

Fairview, Michigan - Four dogs were poisoned on Sunday February 1, 2008. The person who did this put antifreeze in mashed potatoes and fed it to the dogs. They also left a note on the door - "Paybacks a bitch. Woof! Woof!" Out of the four dogs, three had to be euthanized due to the damage that the antifreeze did. Here is what antifreeze does:

Symptoms:
Clinical signs depend on how long it has been since the pet drank the antifreeze as well as the amount they drank. Early symptoms are much like alcohol intoxication. Dogs and cats may vomit due to the irritating effects of ethylene glycol on the stomach. They drink and urinate excessively and may be depressed and wobbly. The increased thirst is due to stimulation of the thirst centers of the brain. Pets may seem on the road to recovery twelve hours later as the ethylene glycol is metabolized by the liver and kidneys. However, a day later in cats and two days later in dogs the patients suddenly becomes much worse. They become depressed, weak, and dehydrated. They may develop diarrhea, mouth ulcers, rapid breathing and seizures. Their kidneys are often painful and swollen.

One of the dogs (maybe more) were part of a search and rescue team. These are the same types of dogs that help during major disasters. The people have not been found.

The family has set-up an account to pay for the euthanasia and autopsies:
Northland Area Credit Union
208 N Morenci Avenue
Mio, MI 48647
Account under: Courtney French

The news video is here. There is a commercial before hand, but you need to watch the story - so sad.

Cruelty: The Animal/Human Connection...

We live in a violent society. Many people have been taking notice of a certain connection. A connection between animal cruelty and human abuse. In an article by John Locke called “Cruelty”, he makes note of how, we as a society, would exclude “butchers from juries of life and death”. He felt that these men have become desensitized and could not truly see the court case for what it is. It was his thought that butchers have become desensitized by the “cruel” acts they perform on animals.

The topic of desensitization in kids is touched on in Mead’s article “Culture Factors”. As television gives us more and more graphic shows and parents allowing kids to watch more adult shows, we as a society have turned off or blocked something in the human mind. When you see a dead body, do you feel anything? Probably, but with shows like CSI, Criminal Minds, and many more we tend not to be fazed by a body sitting on a table sliced opened. The graphic shows I watch are CSI: NY, NCIS, and Criminal Minds. I know the difference in a body that is made up for TV and one that is hanging out of a car window. But do these shows desensitize me and how I feel? If they do, how do they affect the growing mind of a child? We also have to look at video games that kids are playing today. So how are children to distinguish what is right and wrong when it comes to killing? As Mead stated, “Pests to be killed, food to be eaten, pets to be loved, are discriminated for the growing child.” We, as the adults, need to help guide these kids. We need to let them know what is right and wrong.

We, as parents, need to be aware of what kids are doing and why. There are people that believe that people that cause animal cruelty are psychopaths (“It is an undeniable fact that cruelty of any kind has its roots deeply buried in psychopathology”), I agree with a different mind set that states, “researchers cannot assume that animal abusers are ‘psychopaths’, ‘cold- blooded killers’, or ‘sadists’ thought to act impulsively without reason”, but we need to look deeper into the reasons why they are doing what they do. Kids tend to act out for various reasons, but that does not make them killers or rapist. It makes them human. It’s when they step over the line that parents need to worry.

But if a child acts out and kills an animal, what do we do? We cannot let this incident go unpunished. Mead says that if we do not punish the child for something that is “tabued”, then there is the possibility that the child will “try it again (or) try something bigger”. Parents and educators need to understand that any type of cruelty is a cry for help in some way. We need to pay more attention to our kids and try to find out what is bothering them. If the cruelty increases with the child, there is a chance that this child will grow to be a burden to society. But how can we do this when our lives are so busy? How can we keep an eye on everything a child does?

As with anything in animal welfare, education is the key. We need to help educate the public on the different signs that can be linked to animal cruelty. Many people have no perception or a very small idea of what can happen to a child that commits animal cruelty. Someone who abuses animals may have some physiological problems; they may grow up to be abusive or worse a murderer. Shelters need to have an outreach program that goes into schools to talk with young people about animal abuse. We need to teach teachers to be aware of what to look for in kid’s behavior and then what to do to help. We tend to leave this to the police or local authorities, but we need to step up and help guide the police and the local authorities in looking for certain signs and what to do and whom they should contact if they see these signs of animal abuse. The police may only know to call child services and not the local shelter if an animal is involved.

The mind is a vast machine that can break down. When this happens, things go wrong for many reasons. People are angry with someone who did them wrong, so they want revenge. Kids are left out, ostracized and made fun of and they tend to act out, sometimes violently. We have no real understanding of where violence comes from, but at some point in everyone’s life there was a violent act or thought. We need to learn to understand our emotions. Cruelty is a desire and a readiness to give others pain without feelings or remorse. We all just need to heed the signs.

What Would You Do...

Severino Cruz, 33, and his brother Enrique Cruz, 28, both of Plainville, were arrested for cruelty to animals, an unvaccinated dog and unlicensed dog.

They both live together.

Severino Cruz's son, Nick Cruz, 8, was bitten by a pet pitbull named Baby on Sunday. Severino was at work when the dog, belonging to Enrique, got loose and bit Severino's son.

Enrique took Nick to the hospital. Meanwhile, Severino found out what happened, grabbed a power drill and drilled the dog in the head more than a dozen times. The dog was not killed, but was severely injured.

Enrique found out what his brother did and reported it to the police.

Police investigated and found that the dogs were living under very poor conditions. It also seemed that they were suffering from malnutrition.

When police went to the house, they found another pitbull by the name of Coffee. The dog was taken by police, placed in a pound, and will be up for adoption shortly.

Severino was held yesterday on a $50,000 bond. He appeared in court today and his bond was reduced to $25,000. He's still incarcerated.

Enrique was given a $10,000 non-surety bond and was released yesterday. The court date is set for January 22nd.

Pet-Abuse.com

News video below: