VMDiva

An appalling case of animal abuse occurred near my alma mater this week and it sickens me. The local news reported a 33 year old Philadelphia father, surrounded by his small children, decided to teach his young pit bull a lesson after the puppy nipped at him. His solution involved dousing the animal in alcohol and setting him on fire. The man’s children reported the incident to school officials. The dog has apparently survived but has a tenuous recovery from severe burns to his face and neck.

This type of cruelty stirs a nauseating anger that grows the more I think about it. Pennsylvania Animal Cruelty laws state “It is a Misdemeanor in the first degree if a person: “Kills, maims, mutilates, tortures or disfigures any dog or cat, whether belonging to himself or otherwise; or administers poison to or exposes any poisonous substance with the intent to administer such poison to any dog or cat, whether belonging to himself or otherwise”  This is punishable by a fine of not less than $1,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 2 years.” This particular suspect is facing many other charges such as child endangerment and arson.

Remove children from the situation and this guy (or a similar perpetrator) could get a slap on the wrist. A $1000 fine is insufficient for this type of malicious disregard for life. Imprisonment up to 2 years is reasonable, but very rarely do the courts drop the hammer on animal abusers. This confuses me given the known ties between animal cruelty and domestic violence. It has long been understood that animal abusers often graduate to domestic violence. Regardless of personal beliefs about treatment of animals, it would be prudent of the courts to look at “gateway abuses” critically. I wonder how this man responds to his small children when they misbehave.

We need to seriously consider the way we handle perpetrators of heinous acts of animal cruelty. Anger management, domestic violence classes, and compulsory prison sentences should be mandated. Psychological evaluations could help prevent future abuses and should be incorporated. Perhaps the courts should even  require community service in an animal shelter. A small fine for first time offenders equates to a slap on the wrist and does nothing to prevent further abuses of both animals and people. Drop the hammer. Please.