AN OPEN LETTER TO THOSE WHO ARE ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE

A few weeks ago, I wrote about this subject and then just this past week, I got an e-mail from two other concerned dog owners asking me to support them about this kind of behavior on Facebook. I never posted this on my blog, but now I am.


AN OPEN LETTER TO THOSE WHO ARE ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE


I bet most of the people that are on your Facebook page you don�t even know. I doubt that most of us know the couple of hundred or more people that call us �friends� as friends. I mean can you call anyone of them up at three o�clock in the morning needing help and expecting to hear them say, �I�ll be right over!�

When I joined Facebook, I did so because I wanted to connect with family and friends and perhaps make some new friends. I joined to be entertained and amused and never took it seriously. I considered it light entertainment. I enjoy looking and sharing pictures and videos with my friends. I enjoy reading and posting quotations. What I don�t enjoy looking at or reading about is cruelty to animals! I am repulsed and sickened by the horrific and graphic pictures that some post on Facebook! I did not invite anyone on my Facebook to post such disgusting pictures.

A couple of weeks ago someone felt the need to post a picture of a dog being roasted on an open pit like a suckling pig! I see pictures of dogs used as target practice with their bloody wounds practically bleeding through the page. It's just too much sometimes. Then just a few nights ago when I thought I seen it all, I hadn�t. As I scrolled down the page, imagine my shock and repulsion when staring helplessly back at me was a picture of a German Shepherd (or what was left of him) with half his face blown off! It seems that some perverted kids were looking to have �fun� and decided to stick explosives in this poor helpless dog�s mouth that they so generously duct taped shut! I�m surprised he was still alive��his whole jaw and nose was missing. Obviously he must have been put to sleep as he could never live without these things on his face.

We live in a sometimes very brutal and sadistic world. I know what goes on out there. I read the news or see it on television. I do not need or appreciate seeing these types of graphic photographs on my Facebook page. This person was removed from sending me any more photographs as was the second person that felt the need to post it again last night.

If one feels like they MUST get the word out there about the lowest ones that masquerade themselves as human beings, PLEASE put a WARNING on your subject matter and include a link for those that want to view the photograph. I choose not to look at these types of pictures and would NEVER open a link that warned me about the graphic nature of the subject. But at least I get to choose what I want to look at or not. PLEASE don�t make up my mind for me by sending this type of material through.

Let me tell you how I reacted when I saw the roasted dog. I cried and had a talk to God about the cruelty in the world. I shook my head in disbelief. Now how did I act upon seeing the German Shepherd with half his face blown off? I became hysterical crying and I had to get up and go into the bathroom because I was gagging so badly from the sight of the horrific picture. The dog�s black eye�s stared back at me from the white page with his erect ears still standing tall reminding me that he was still a German Shepherd with only a bloody pulp left where his beautiful nose and mouth once graced his face. What did this poor animal do to deserve this fate? Nothing he could have done could ever have warranted this type of punishment!

I never did read the story because I was too sick to do so. I just read that some kids did this to him. When we live in a society that produces MONSTER�S in children, I say to myself that I don�t belong here. So let�s see now what our law enforcement will do about this? Are they underage kids? Will they get a slap on their wrists? Will they have to do community service for a month or two? Community service? What the hell does that teach them? Go blow up an animal or torture it to death and for your punishment you�ll have to sweep the streets of its debris for a month or two. I�m sure they�ll learn their lesson with that one! Their sorry little butts need to be locked away for awhile with some real hard ass criminals that will teach them a thing or two about what it means to be scared. Just like they scared this dog when they taped his month shut. Oh boy, these kids are lucky they don�t have me as a parent��but then again if I produced kids like this, I�d pick up the mirror and question myself as a parent to begin with! If this case ever went to court (I doubt it), these kids would never want me on the jury. I�d do everything in my power to make sure that they �reaped what they sowed!�

Until our laws change and take animal abuse more seriously, we will be rubbing elbows with the future menaces to society. Animal abuse is the first step in the serial killers demonic �rap sheet!�

So once again if I see anymore of these disgusting pictures, I will delete the people that are responsible for posting it. I know we live in a sometimes cruel, cold world, but there is also many good things going on in it as well. I choose to read about those things. Let me have a choice as to what it is I want to read and see. Put a WARNING on your post so I know to avoid it!


My rating: 1 - 4 depending.....

IS JUSTICE EVER SERVED?

I�ve been reading about the ? �man�? from Pennsylvania who let his German Shepherd Dogs starve to death. I seen it come across some e-mail lists and then with some awful photo�s on Facebook. I could not pull up those pictures to look at the dead dogs. I could see one laying there dead in the small picture and that was enough for me. I share this planet with these types of vermin and I confess that it gets harder and harder for me to do so!

I�ve said this before in another article that I wrote, that I find something so profoundly wrong when any dog or any animal gets treated like this. I take it up a notch when it�s a German Shepherd Dog that is reduced to a dead carcass lying in a filthy, mud encrusted enclosure as his final �resting� place. This is what his beautiful Hershey brown eyes seen for the last month of his sorrowful life. Even our most hardened criminals get a choice of a last supper if they are going to meet their maker with the help of a lethal injection. These poor souls hadn�t had a last supper or a quench of thirst for a month. Appalling!

Three dogs died and the other seven are receiving medical attention. Not only did they not receive any food or water but there was no heat where they laid their weary bones. Pennsylvania winters are brutal. One of the three that were dead was a puppy. How sorrowful that his short life was a brutal one! Welcome to the world baby!

Now people are writing to the judge that will handle this case asking for jail time rather than just a fine for this monster that inflicted this kind of pain on loving, trusting animals. It will be interesting to see if he receives jail time for his monstrous, premeditated acts of cruelty. Nothing infuriates me more than when justice is not served. Many times with cases like this, the perpetrator gets a slap on the wrist and maybe a few hundred dollars as a fine. Was justice served? Not on your life!

I'm a believer in "Let the punishment fit the crime!" So what does it teach the criminal mind of an animal abuser to be locked away for a week or so? He gets a bed in a warm cell. He gets fed three meals a day. His victims received the harsh punishment of an uncaring soul. This man doesn't know what it means to be a victim. Maybe he should be locked away for a month without any food, water or heat. Then society can say, "Justice has been served!" I really, really think this guy would then "Get it!!!"

When it comes to animal cruelty cases, I rarely read of fair justice being served. It�s almost as if the criminal system is saying that these are just dogs and we don�t have time for animal abuse cases. There�s too many crimes being inflicted on people and naturally those cases come first. I wonder who should determine the extent of pain that a person can endure and the extent that an animal can endure. I don�t even let myself go there with my thoughts of an animal whimpering and shriving with a stomach begging to be fed and a throat dry with longing for a little water.

Until our justice system takes animal cruelty seriously, this kind of heinous act will continue. And as long as it continues it stands as a testament to the overall health (or lack of) of a society as a whole. It�s a testament about those who abuse and a testament about those that turn their heads the other way saying, �It�s not my problem.� But lo to those that may feel this way. It is all of our problems because allowing it to continue sickens an already emotional depleted, unhealthy society. What messages are we sending to our children?

Kick a dog when he�s down and he might come back to bite you! There may come a time when all dogs�..all animals become leery of human beings. Maybe the days of the loyal companion will only be read about in story books and the animals that once roamed the jungles will once again retreat to them to stay as far away from man as they can. Maybe that unconditional love that only a dog seems capable of giving will be replaced with suspicion and distrust��not unlike the man that made him that way!


From the book: "THE LINK BETWEEN ANIMAL ABUSE AND HUMAN VIOLENCE"....Many philosophers, including Aquinas, Locke, Schopenhauer and Kant, have assumed that there is a link between cruelty to animals and violence to people. During the last 40 years, evidence for this view has steadily accumulated as a result of statistical, psychological, and medical investigations, and there is now a substantial body of supporting empirical evidence. "The Link Between Animal Abuse & Human Violence" brings together international experts from seven countries to examine in detail the relationships between animal abuse and child abuse, the emotional development of the child, family violence, and serial murder. It considers the implications for legal and social policy, and the work of key professionals. Sections include critical overviews of existing research, discussion of ethical issues, and a special focus on the abuse of wild animals. This book is essential reading for all those who have a stake in the debate, either because their academic work relates to the issues involved, or because their professional role involves contact with the abused or the abusers, both human and animal, including child care officers, community carers, law enforcement officers, health visitors, veterinarians, anti-cruelty inspectors, animal protection officers, social scientists, lawyers, psychologists, and criminologists. This is the most up-to-date, authoritative, and comprehensive volume on the link between animal abuse and human violence.


My rating: Criminal Justice System for animal abuse: (1), Need for better laws against animal abuse: (4)

GOOD DOG GONE BAD

Are you like me that sometimes you�re just amazed at how some dogs that have been terribly abused can still lick the hand of his abuser? Or take this same abused dog and put him with another owner and he loves him unconditionally? Are you amazed at how you can yell at a dog after having a bad day and if you look in his direction he�ll gladly come to you and lay some affection on you? Then there are other dogs if you gave them the same abusive treatment, they are never the same again. They may fear man for the rest of their live. They may shake and run in a corner and if you were to go over to him to pet him, he may relieve himself on your shoe. So what makes some dogs recover and lead a healthy, happy life whereas others end up being skittish and fearful of man for the rest of his life?

I believe it�s all about the dog�s nervous system. I believe that some dogs are more sensitive than other dogs. They may have both been born with a lovely and trustful nature, but one�s nervous system may be more delicate then his litter mates. Is this genetic? Can a puppy that you bred be born with a good temperament and you sell him and his new owners are calling you after a couple of weeks telling you that the puppy has a bad temperament? How did this happy, friendly, out going puppy become a shaking, fearful wimp?

I had a five week old puppy that was in a big medical facility having procedures and tests done on her. When I left her there and was waiting for further instructions, I heard this most pitiful scream that made me jump out of my seat. I asked the girl at the desk was that my puppy? She said yes she was screaming because they were trying to get a tube down her throat. She was there for three days. She went in a happy, �wagging her tail� little bundle of fur. She came out never trusting strangers again. From then on in, every stranger she met, she greeted with a growl!

This can happen with an older youngster as well. I have a friend who once told me that she had a young male that she raised that had a good temperament. He never showed any signs of having a bad disposition. The dog was a show quality animal so she sent him to a well known trainer to prepare him for the show ring. She told me when she got him back, he was a different dog. Her once friendly happy dog no longer could be shown. He became a spook and backed away from the judge rather than standing confidently for his examination. How could this be?

So what makes a good dog go bad? Perhaps some dogs can be rough housed and have it never affect them. Their nerves are steady and nothing seems to bother them. On the other hand some dogs don�t take to being overly handled. They are truly aloof and if they allow you to pet them a couple of times then that�s enough for them. These are not the type of dogs that like anything forced on them.

Just like humans, some of us can tolerate more stress than others. Some people you could drop a bomb in front of them and maybe you�d get a yawn out of them. Others all the way on the other side of the nervous system spectrum would be put in the mental institution. That�s why some people end up with all sorts of nervous conditions due to stress and a sensitive nature. This is when ulcers show their ugly little heads, spastic colons, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, etc. It�s not any different with the dog. I wonder why we expect so much more from them then we expect of ourselves! If the dog has been traumatized, why do we expect them to act like nothing ever happened to them?

I don�t have the answer why some dogs will remain friendly with people after they have been abused and others are never the same again. We can blame or credit it to genetics, but most dogs in a shelter environment are mixed breeds. So if one of your dogs was abused and he had good temperament, would you expect him to bounce back and be trustful and friendly with people once again? Is it reasonable to think this way?


From the book: "SILENT VICTIMS: RECOGNIZING AND STOPPING ABUSE OF THE FAMILY PET" - Silent Victims offers students, professionals, and laypersons an overview of the most critical scientific and anecdotal findings about the antecedents and consequences of animal cruelty. The research presented includes notable studies on the factors associated with animal abuse, including the perpetrators, abusive environments. The book also offers readers an insider's look at animal cruelty; real life tales weave theories and research findings with applied fieldwork, and examine commonly used strategies and techniques for recognizing and addressing animal abuse cases.


My rating: Finding the best homes for our puppies and dogs: (4)

DOES A CONVICTED ANIMAL ABUSER LIVE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

I didn�t plan on writing about an article on this subject this morning. Actually, I started writing another article yesterday on a totally different subject. I rarely if ever write on my blog over the week-end, but it was something light and once again showed my �off the wall� kind of sense of humor. So here it is Monday morning and instead of writing something light and amusing, I find myself writing about something dark and not amusing at all.

I was clearing the Sunday newspapers off of my kitchen table and realized that I hadn�t read the magazine section of the paper called �Parade.� So I quickly skimmed the pages as I didn�t plan to read anything but a small article on one of the pages caught my eye. The title read �A New Plan to Stop animal Abuse.� Under a black and white picture of a couple of dogs behind a fence, the words in bold type read: �Convicted pet abusers would be listed online.�

So I read the short but informative article and then went on their website to see if I could find out anything more about this subject. Basically they had the same article on their website as they did in the paper. However, there was a place to vote (which I did) about your opinion if you thought this was a good idea or not. What I liked reading most of all was the letters that some people wrote about voicing their opinion on this subject.

This is what the article had to say. They wanted to know if the public should know if a convicted animal abuser lives or works next door. It seems that there�s a bill before the California legislature that would require adults convicted of felon animal abuse to register with local law enforcement. Their names would be placed in a database similar to the national sex offender�s registry. Other states that are considering animal-abuse registries are New York, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

It�s a known fact that animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against humans. I didn�t know that they are also four times more likely to commit property crimes than those without a history of violence against animals.

Who would the registry include? It would include people that have been convicted of maiming, mutilating, torturing, or killing animals as well as pet hoarders and operators of animal fight rings.

Starting and maintaining a website for this registry isn�t cheap. The website �Pet-Abuse.com� run by volunteers has a database about pet abuse. It costs about $10,000 per year to operate. It now tracks nearly 16,000 accused or convicted animal abusers.

Here is what some readers thought about this idea. Most people didn�t see any difference in abuse to children as abuse to animals. Just a couple of people said the two shouldn�t be compared. The majority felt that the animal suffers just as much pain as the child, so why should these cases be treated any differently? Right or wrong, abuse is abuse no matter who it�s directed at. In my opinion, the animal should not have to be expected to suffer any more pain than we should be able to endure. To read the full article and letters pertaining to it, check it out at: Parade.com/abuse

If it�s a known fact that these monsters that are misfits to society have started their �careers of abuse� by abusing animals, then they need to be stopped before it goes any further. They have scratched and crawled their way to our children�s school yards, the local parks and even sneaks through someone�s bedroom window. This is why in my opinion that the law abiding citizens of a community need to get their law makers attention to this growing epidemic that preys on the innocent starting with the animals. If they can stop it at this level, perhaps they can prevent further abuse in the future. We need to get these predators at the beginning of their �careers� (at the animal level) before it escalates to the abuse of people.

If we had a registry of animal abusers it could help the police department in the future. If they are looking for a criminal that has abused a child or an adult, they could also check the files of the animal abusers as many times as we know this is where it all starts.

If you have ever checked the registry for sex offenders on line, you would be shocked to know who lives down the street from you, and in some cases right next door. And speaking of this subject, I just got an e-mail message from CNN news. This is what it said: �Supreme Court rules federal government can keep some sex offenders locked up after they serve their sentences.� I say take the key, lock them up, and then throw away the key and keep them locked up. In my opinion, you can�t rehabilitate these types of people. They come back out and do the same thing all over again.

Perhaps you might know someone that abuses their animals. He could be even a family member or relative. Most of the time no one turns them in. They couldn�t think of doing this to a loved one, however what they are doing to the animals is disturbing. They choose to look the other way or they don�t want to get involved. It is never easy when the person doing the abuse is someone that you know and love. There are other reasons these people don�t get turned in. Many times it�s because people are afraid of them. The animals that they are abusing can�t speak up. Only we can.

I believe if we don�t do everything that we can to stop animal abuse; the crime rate in this country will continue to rise. If the authorities keep treating animals abuse with a �slap on the wrist� and continue to let these offenders get away with murder than they have no one to blame but themselves. We already live in an angry� out of control� society. Need any further evidence of this? Listen to some of the popular music our children are listening to. Watch some of the television violence laden shows. Go to the movies where the seats are sold out because people need their adrenaline rush through the violence portrayed on the screen. Know than when you see animals being tortured, you are looking at the further of a society numbed by violence and abuse. When this becomes the �norm� and when those who revolt against it are considered the minority, then the shift of good and evil has taken place while we slept. Let�s hope we wake up from this �zombie like sleep� and proclaim that enough is enough��and indeed, we�re not going to take it anymore!

Pay attention to animal abuse. It�s not going to go away anytime soon. It must be stopped. If you love animals whether you�re a pet owner, a show dog breeder, or just a good citizen of your community, get involved. Animal abuse affects us all. If we turn our backs to it, then we�re turning our backs to the further crime in this country. If we don�t want to be abused, robbed, raped or murdered, go after the animal abusers now before it escalates to this level. Make the abusers punishments to animals be just as serious as those done to man. Animal abusers are people abusers!

From the book: "SILENT VICTIMS: RECOGNIZING AND STOPPING ABUSE OF THE FAMILY PET".....this is what one person said after reading this book....."Phenomenal job on this book! Very well written with excellent scenarios and realism. It truly brought out the reality and severity of the link between domestic abuse and animal abuse, with close attentiveness to victims who cannot defend themselves against these crimes. As you read it, you tear a bit, with the reality so vivid. A very well-done book. I recommend it to all Animal Control Officers like myself, law enforcement officers, domestic violence advocates. It really opens your eyes. Thank you Tom Flannigan for sharing so much of your knowledge and experience with us!"

My rating: Stricter punishment for animal abusers: (4)