[show_avatar email=tom@tom-swift.com]Even before I read the first word of this article I had a visceral reaction to it. The accompanying photographs — my eyes tend to skip over photographs in magazines — affected me in a manner that is difficult to articulate. I knew, immediately I knew, I was not going to like what I was about to read. In fact, for that reason I put the piece aside. Not now, I thought. Maybe tomorrow, I said to myself. But, then, I couldn’t not read it, either. If you have not done so already, I hope you will read it, too.
Author Charles Siebert explores how psychologists, lawmakers, and law-enforcement officers are increasingly making a connection between animal abuse and other forms of violence. Many people will tell you that this is not news — that we have known for decades that the boy who mutilates frogs is far more likely to end up behind bars than the one who picks daisies for his mother. Even if this is not breaking news to experts, Siebert, who brings quiet authority and an even-tempered sensibility to the page, nonetheless opened my eyes. The piece does not preach, but it is rousing.
My first thought was that I wanted to scream at someone — particularly the perpetrators written about, specifically and generally, in the article. How could they inflict such suffering? How could they look into a loving and loyal dog’s eyes with intent to snuff out the light behind them? How could others allow such behavior? Days later, I remain exasperated, but my lens is wider. What have we done? What society have we created where such people, such circumstances, and such behavior exist? How are we educating, how are we raising, how are we shaping consciousness, that our fellow human beings — this is not one or two bad apples — engage in such heinous acts?
The easy answers, the ones we focus on whenever we encounter indefensible behavior — the length of prison terms, namely — do not satisfy me here. No doubt, I am pleased that society is to an increasing degree intolerant of animal cruelty. I am heartened that California recently added Humane Society and animal-control officers to the list of professionals bound by law to report suspected abuse (and that the state is considering a bill that would list animal abusers on the same type of online registry as sex offenders and arsonists). I want my government to pursue dog-fighters and puppy-mill owners. Yes, punishment is due. And I would applaud my representative if he proposed laws that made stricter enforcement more likely in our state.
But I refuse to believe that the boys who set their dog ablaze came out of the womb destined for such cruelty (or that their parents did, either, if, in fact, the behavior was learned at home). I cannot accept that a boy who used to run in fields and swing in the park wittingly becomes a man so insecure with himself that in order to assert authority at home he must kick — or mutilate — the dog.
We are better than that. Aren’t we?
Note: I welcome responses about local efforts to combat animal cruelty.
As an advocate for animal protection, I applaud any legislation which enforces punishment and prevention of animal abuse. The reason we have so many puppy mills is because they are not breaking any laws, the laws are just not enough to prevent the unhealthy overbreeding of animals to make money. Where do these animals end up? Abused, abandoned, and neglected. As President of the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society, we assist law enforcement whenever possible with animal abuse and neglect issues, however our efforts are not a solution without stronger legislation. Resources are always scarce, yet animal abuse does represent a larger problem in our society that we all need to be more aware of.
Tom/Kathy, I inadvertently killed my pet rabbit when I was 12 yrs-old, showing off to a friend. I felt terrible and never did anything like that again till I hit my kids’ little dog one day in anger. That forced me to examine how my dad’s bullying/abusive behavior (and my mom’s role in it) was continuing to play itself out in my life.
So yeah, tough laws and penalties are needed but therapy/treatment should be in the mix, too. Animal abuse by anyone, kids or adults, is best understood by examining the family dynamics of the perpetrator.
Thanks, Griff, for that peek inside. Acknowledging and facing the meaning and impacts of our lessons learned, and learning other ways takes a lot of courage… if only we realized more quickly that change is a lot easier than living with all that crap!!! I’ve always had rescue animals, and humans too, and am on the Humane Society of Goodhue County board. The stories are horrifying and gut-wrenching.
There are a couple of facets here, first, the human side, and yes, the need for mandated counseling, that is the only thing that might change abusers’ behavior. I’m reading a book by Jerry Mander (yes, really!) about elimination of television, and I think TV has a big impact on the inability of people to think through to the consequences of their behavior, particularly regarding self-image, anger and abuse. The way people treat animals is so appalling, and so obvious in the behaviors of the dogs I’ve taken in who are so happy to learn to live in a comfy home with food and without fear.
Another side of this is hoarders, passive abuse and neglect, by people who cannot say no, who unreasonably believe they can provide a good/better home for animals who need help, and repeatedly have hundreds of cats or dogs or even cows in the house, knee deep in shit and dead animals. For this, mandated therapy is also needed, and supervised probationm with conditions including limitations on animals in that person’s care.
Where do these resources come from? How do we get the legal system, and the general public, to recognize the signs that someone, a person and not just the animals, needs help? And how do we get them in treatment? How do we care for all the dogs, that we need so many doggy “underground railroads” from high-kill shelters, that there are SOOOOO many cats, to increase spaying and neutering.
There’s also the aspect, that of animals for profit, such as breeding, fighting, without any regard for the animals as individuals, they’re just a tool to be used until used up, broken, and then thrown away. Much of this our society condones, with breeders, they just think of cute puppies, and don’t see the cages, old saggy dams abandoned, inbreeding and breeding of dogs with obvious defects. Yes, there oughtta be a law… societal pressure and laws are needed, but how? Energy issues are a LOT easier!
And the micro scale — I’m reminded of all of this each time I grab a broom to sweep and Kady runs away and cowers, a garage door opens and she trembles in fear — how to convey that it really is OK, she can live knowing that we won’t beat her or starve her? How many big cow bones from Huttels, shelter under the desk, hugs and pets, long rides, soft doggy beds and how much time…
Tom Swift said, “But I refuse to believe that the boys who set their dog ablaze came out of the womb destined for such cruelty (or that their parents did, either, if, in fact, the behavior was learned at home). I cannot accept that a boy who used to run in fields and swing in the park wittingly becomes a man so insecure with himself that in order to assert authority at home he must kick — or mutilate — the dog.”
From what I understand of mental illness and criminal behavior is that either one may not show up early. And that given the complications of the brain and that it is an organ like any other, it is susceptible to variances, too much here, too little there…some people don’t have highly developed consciousness and will do things without aforethought and without remorse. Sometimes it’s just a temporary chemical imbalance brought on by toxic substances, stress, or fatigue. Sometimes it’s a gap between neurotransmitters that gets worse with every episode.
The brain uses many, many types of proteins and that is the reason why we should all eat a variety of nutritious foods.
One of the real issues here is learning the difference between mental illness which can be handled and those brain malfunctions or conditions which are permanent and irreversible. As always, certain individuals who would be dangerous to society, must be set apart from society.
Fortunately, we are coming into understanding these issues better and better with the advent of technology which can scan and read the brain activity centers and are ability to map these brain centers become greater each year.
We also need to educate people about the intelligence of animals. As a city girl, I vividly remember the day I visited friends on a pecan and long horn cattle ranch, the two being symbiotic elements of a successful operation, when the manager came out and told the cattle where to go as if they were people. The group of twenty or so turned around and went to that location right away, even though they had been told to leave their beloved freshly mowed lawn snack. I was so amazed. Until then, I thought only well behaved dogs did that!
It is said that dogs have the intelligence of a two year old child. I submit that is true, and some are even a bit smarter than that. But they do require care and some people cannot care for them properly for many different reasons.
Some of the things we are missing in our education of people in general could be easily addressed at community centers and hand outs at community gatherings…a simple one page xeroxed sheet can do wonders.