The crime of cruelty

Time to increase accountability

By SANDY LONG

UPPER DELAWARE REGION — When NFL quarterback Michael Vick was recently sentenced in a Richmond, VA federal court to 23 months in federal prison and three years probation for dog fighting crimes that included the electrocution and hanging of poorly performing dogs, Marlene Metzger was surprised to hear the news.

“I thought he would just get probation,” said the Dessin Animal Shelter’s Humane Society police officer. Nodding, director of shelter operations Sue Frisch added, “Several years ago, that might have been the case.”

The sentence is a pointed reminder that cruelty is indeed a crime and there’s a growing awareness that it’s time to treat it as such.

Both women have witnessed animal cruelty in its various forms: the hoarder whose intentions often result in misery for the unmanageable amount of animals they accumulate; the puppy mill producer who perpetrates lifelong suffering on the dogs whose lives are spent in cages producing puppies that are often diseased or genetically flawed. Then there’s the person who beats the family dog, the one who dumps a box of kittens along a roadside and, in the case of someone like Vick, those who participate in activities like dog fighting.

National organizations

weigh in

Ed Sayres, president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) called the sentencing “a significant moment in the history of animal cruelty prosecution [which] sends a clear message to criminals everywhere—that this kind of gross and barbaric cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.”

In its increased commitment to fighting animal cruelty, the ASPCA recently debuted the first Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation Unit (CSI). Unveiled on NBC’s “Today Show,” the new unit features general crime scene and evidence collection supplies, medical examination and surgical equipment, blood evidence materials and grave detection and exhumation equipment.

Operated by forensic veterinarian Dr. Melinda Merck, the vehicle will be used to assist national and local law enforcement officials in their efforts to prosecute animal cruelty offenders.

In response to the Vick sentencing, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) released the following statement: “Michael Vick committed a reckless and unconscionable crime, and the sentence meted out today is fitting and appropriate.” Pacelle described a rising awareness and resolve around the issue of dogfighting and said that the HSUS has released radio and television public service announcements condemning such practices of animal cruelty. The HSUS expects to work on upgrades of dogfighting statutes in as many as 25 states in 2008.

The HSUS has also responded to recent acts of animal cruelty in the greater Scranton, PA area by increasing a reward being offered. In two separate though possibly related incidents, five mutilated dogs were discovered in Wyoming and Lackawanna counties in mid-November. Believed to have been Shetland sheepdogs, the victims died of blood loss and were also skinned. Several dogs had their noses cut off and one suffered trauma to its brain. An additional $2,500 has been added by the HSUS, bringing the total reward to $8,680. Anyone with information about the incidents should contact officer Tina Walter, an investigator with the Humane Society of Lackawanna County, at 570/585-0510.

“The connection between animal cruelty and human violence is well documented,” notes the HSUS in a press release announcing the award. “Studies show a correlation between animal cruelty and all manner of other crimes, from narcotics and firearms violations to battery and sexual assault.”

Addressing the problem

On the other side of the cruelty equation are people like Julie Murray, who adopted one of the dogs surrendered to Dessin Animal Shelter during a cruelty investigation earlier this year. Lake Ariel, PA resident Marion Mansour pled guilty to 12 counts of animal cruelty after surrendering 24 purebred Shar-peis found living in conditions of filth and neglect. When she investigated, the odor of ammonia and feces within the house took Metzger’s breath away and she said it appeared that the dogs had not been outside in months.

Murray fell in love when she met the malnourished Stash. “When he walks, he wobbles. He snorts and he snores. He is very clumsy and that makes me love him all the more,” said Murray. “He was really skinny, needed an eye operation, didn’t know how to go up and down stairs and was afraid of loud noises,” Murray added. “Now, he’s the happiest dog alive. I would definitely do this again.”

Solving the problem of animal cruelty is partly a matter of changing formerly accepted practices and altering generations of learned behavior. Frisch said she sees change coming in the way that people view their pets. “They’re being treated more as family members,” she noted.

Both Frisch and Metzger said that education plays a key role. Metzger takes animals to schools and area organizations, delivering customized programs about topics such as bite prevention and practicing compassion toward animals. “Any amount of cruelty, no matter how small the act, is too much,” she noted. “It’s important to teach this lesson early.”

Visit www.aspca.org to sign a pledge to end animal cruelty and to learn more about this issue. Support the work of Dessin Animal Shelter, Honesdale, PA (or your local shelter) by making a donation or volunteering. Visit www.DessinShelter.com or call 570/253-4037. Volunteer coordinator Laura Vernacchia is organizing a new Friends of Dessin Volunteer Group. Call 570/647-0057 for more information.