Photos courtesy of SPCA National

Editor’s note: Due to the length of this installment of the Pet Post, the first half, seen here, is being published today. The second half will follow on Wednesday.

We were researching an article about animal abuse and cruelty in light of the Season for Nonviolence, which runs from Jan. 30 to April 4, when the most recent local case of horrific animal abuse occurred. It made this article tragically appropriate.

As many of you know, a cat was set afire and was found still alive and in agony in the 1100 block of Daisy Avenue. Evaluation by the shelter vet resulted in a humane euthanasia in order to spare the animal further suffering. As of this writing, Long Beach Police Department Detective David Ternullo says that no suspects have been identified.

Two separate rewards have been offered — a contributory pot that so far exceeds $4,000 from Justin Rudd’s Community Action Team and $1,000 from Friends of Long Beach Animals. FOLBA is requesting donations to the general fund to help fund rewards such as this one.

The tragedy of the burned cat is the latest in a handful (thankfully it’s just a handful) of abject cruelty cases that have garnered local media attention. Two Chihuahuas burned to death in a cage in 2006. Another Chihuahua wandered into the Big Kmart in 1999 and was beaten to death by a female employee. Then there was the awful beating by three juveniles of a nurse shark and other sea creatures at the Aquarium of the Pacific in 2004. Two silky terriers in a front yard were smashed — one to death — by a passerby using a cinder block in 2005. And a German shepherd, aptly renamed Courage by his rescuers, was found chained and in such a state of starvation that he’d resorted to eating dirt and rocks. Because of the singular elements of cruelty and prolonged cruelty, there was local outrage from the public and a happy ending for Courage, who lives a happy life with his new human companion.

A glance at Pet-Abuse.com  provides sometimes graphic and always heartbreaking information on a gamut of neglect, abuse and outright cruelty cases involving domestic pets and wildlife in the Long Beach area over the years. Disturbingly, several extreme abuse cases remain open and unprosecuted. If you can bear to read the accounts online  (and sometimes it takes a needle in the eye to make you realize how sharp it is) you’ll understand that regardless of whether an animal is starved, left in a home without food or water, has its wings broken and beak cut off or is burned to death, it’s all the same to the animal — it hurts.

“We’re such an animal-loving community, and people feel extra concerned and want to take action and prevent this from ever happening again,” said LBPD spokeswoman Lisa Massacani relative to the cat that was recently burned. “When you’re someone who treats animals like the family members they are and then this happens, it’s horrific. We hope the individual will be caught and prevented from doing this again.”

We share in the concern and are also bewildered by acts of cruelty. Several organizations, among them the Latham Foundation for the Promotion of Humane Education , the Humane Society of the United States  and the American Humane Association, as well as Pet-Abuse.com, describe reasons for and the levels of animal cruelty. There are certain behavior patterns that can help the public understand, though not excuse, types of cruelty to animals. We categorize them as neglect, abuse, blood sport and malicious cruelty.

Benign in Terms of Description Only: Neglect

Benign neglect, described more aptly as an act of omission by Pet-Abuse.com, is typified by pet owner ignorance and irresponsibility. However, severe neglect, as seen in cases of pet hoarding and well-intended rescuers gone wrong, usually results in animals suffering and dying. Pet-Abuse.com cites the following examples: starvation, dehydration, parasite infestations, allowing a collar to grow into an animal’s skin, inadequate shelter in extreme weather conditions, and failure to seek veterinary care when an animal needs medical attention.

City Prosecutor Doug Haubert cites a case of severe pet neglect that he prosecuted about 10 years ago. The defendant had tied up his pit bull, Blunt, in the backyard in a manner to not allow him recourse to food and water. The poor dog died of malnutrition, exposure to the elements and other unspecified problems. Haubert worked with then-Councilman Ray Grabinski to convince the judge, who indicated he might only impose probation and home detention on the defendant, to take the case seriously. Haubert later found that the defendant was a registered sex offender from Illinois.

“I found when I ran for office in 2010 that many people still remembered it,” Haubert said. “The public was outraged at what the defendant did and disappointed that the judge did not consider the act to be a serious crime.”

Ultimately, Haubert was successful in convincing the judge to sentence the defendant to jail and order him to receive counseling and perform community service.

Educating the owner and revisiting the location to see if there has been improvement is the ideal scenario, but if neglect continues, particularly in extreme cases, the pet may be (and should be) immediately removed and treated by a vet.

Kicking the Family Dog: Abuse

In Courage the dog’s case, details reveal that his ordeal crossed the line between neglect and abuse. The dog’s owner, Kimberly Kimiko Nizato, had chained him up as retribution for bad behavior.

Retribution is the key word in domestic abuse that involves abuse of animals. In such cases, the animal is used either as a threat to the abuser’s human target or as an object of misplaced frustration. Much in the same way as children are misused, there’s a defenseless victim who is either too afraid or unable to dial 911. AHA’s domestic abuse fact page  states that 71 percent of pet-owning women reported that their batterer had threatened, injured, maimed or killed the family pet in order to psychologically control the victim, and 32 percent reported the more troubling fact that their children had harmed pets as well while emulating the controlling — and therefore perceived as “powerful” — parent.

The site also states that abusers may also threaten, harm or kill children’s pets to either force them to perform or submit to sexual acts or to keep them quiet. Pet abuse in the home is also a sign of human domestic abuse.

AHA reports that many battered women see their pets as sources of comfort and often sleep in their cars waiting for a space in an animal-friendly safe house, which are not common. Along with other organizations and individuals interested in the welfare of humans and animals, HSUS recognizes the connection between animals and human domestic abuse and is in the process of setting up a network of safe havens for pets on its website. If you or someone you know needs information about this program, click here.

Go Pick On Someone Your Own Size: Blood Sport

Blood sports combine extreme cruelty with extreme ignorance and idiocy.

The Michael Vick case is just the celebrity tip of the iceberg of this widespread, lowlife “sport.” Animal fights are vicious, and the dogs or birds often fight to the death. As an added disgust/horror element, “bait animals,” such as kittens and rabbits — and badgers in the UK — are used to “train” the fighting dogs. You know the outcome there.

Cock fights involve roosters with razor blades tied to their legs pitted against each other (at the tail end of a previous article , we linked to a story about cockfight karma, when a rooster allegedly accidentally delivered a mortal wound to an audience member. Facebook commenters shared in our characteristic glee).

All animal blood sports are illegal, and Pet-Abuse.com states that almost all of them are tied to prostitution, drug sales, gambling and illegal firearms. Additionally, children are often used as runners and are able to watch animals rip each other to death while grownups cheer it on.

Be sure to check back on Wednesday for the second and final installment of this post on animal cruelty, which will explore deliberate animal cruelty, prosecution and penalties in animal abuse cases and ways you can help put a stop to animal cruelty.

Virtually Pets
These cats also deserve a happy ending.

Fatty Baby

JJ

Here are two friendly sweethearts whose human companion passed away. The manager is trying to find good homes for them, but time is limited. Fatty Baby is around 5 months old and is very friendly, while JJ is an adult and calm. If they appeal, please e-mail REMINS@aol.com.

Pet Projects

Low-cost Vaccination Clinic, Saturday, March 12, Houghton Park
Long Beach Animal Care Services will sponsor a low-cost vaccination clinic, offering vaccinations and microchips for dogs and cats at the Houghton Park Center for Families, 6301 Myrtle Ave., from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 12. For more information, click here. 

FOLBA Meet and Greet, Wednesday, March 16, Long Beach Playhouse
Friends of Long Beach Animals will sponsor a Meet and Greet in the gallery of the Long Beach Playhouse on Wednesday, March 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be served, and there will be a no-host bar. Ralph Brunson will provide the evening’s entertainment at the piano. Attendees will be brought up to date on exciting plans for the upcoming year, and all will have an opportunity to give their input and mingle with fellow animal lovers. Though not required, an RSVP to 562-989-SNIP (7647) is requested, as it will be helpful in planning the evening. The playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St.