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Press of AC: Animal abusers don't always stop with animals
April 27, 2003

Animal abusers don't always stop with animals
By ELAINE ROSE Staff Writer, (609) 272-7215

Back in the mid-1970s, a troubled teenager in rural Bath Township,
Ohio, was known around town for collecting body parts of squirrels,
cats and other animals. People thought he was weird, but no one
intervened.

But when the mutilated bodies of 11 young men turned up in Jeffrey
Dahmer's Milwaukee apartment in 1991, the whole world took notice.

Dahmer was far from the only serial killer to get his start by
torturing animals. Ted Bundy, David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz, and
Columbine High School shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold - to
name a few - all practiced on dogs and cats before moving on to human
targets.

April is Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month, and animal welfare
organizations are spreading the word that animal abusers don't always
stop there. Partly in reaction to research that shows cruelty to
animals often leads to cruelty to humans, many states have started
dishing out tough sentences to people who purposely hurt animals.

While not every juvenile animal abuser grows up to be a mass
murderer, local animal welfare advocates notice the connection.

"The first step is the dog or cat, and the second step is the kid or
the wife," said Linda Catalano, president of the Cumberland County
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Most of the Cumberland SPCA's 1,000 cases a year are neglect rather
than outright abuse, Catalano said. But investigators have come
across battered wives and neglected children while looking into
complaints of animal cruelty.

Nancy Beall, president of the SPCA of Atlantic County, notices the
same trend. Animal abuse is almost always a sign that something else
is wrong in the household.

"There's a big connection between kids being neglected and animals
being neglected ... and kids abusing animals when they're neglected,"
Beall said.

Like Catalano, Beall says her investigators have had plenty of
occasions to call the Division of Youth and Family Services.

Defining abuse

New Jersey is one of 40 states that passed laws making intentional
animal cruelty a felony. The statute was named "Butch's Law," after a
Rottweiler who was found almost dead on Cape May's Poverty Beach in
July 1991. The dog had leg injuries, broken teeth and BB pellets
under its skin. The dog was rehabilitated and later adopted out to a
couple in Lower Township.

Animal abusers in New Jersey are subject to prison terms of up to 18
months and fines of $10,000. If the offenders are juveniles, they
must get counseling.

Animal abuse can be divided into two categories, intentional cruelty
and neglect, according to the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals.

Intentional cruelty consists of beating or kicking an animal, or
forcing animals to fight for entertainment of people. Cockfights and
dogfights are common in southern New Jersey, but it is hard to get
enough evidence to convict the perpetrators in court, Beall and
Catalano both said.

Neglect is far more common than intentional abuse and is often done
out of ignorance on the part of the owners.

Many people don't know that a dog needs protection from the elements
if it sits outside all day, Catalano said. Others "forget" to feed
their animal, provide clean water or loosen a collar as a puppy grows
bigger. Others think, "It's only a dog" or "It's only a cat" and
don't understand that animals' needs are real.

"The animal still suffers and is hurting," Catalano said. "The worst
part is there are probably so many more that we don't know about."

In many neglect cases, the people are open to suggestion, and do the
right thing after SPCA investigators teach them how to care for their
animals, Beall said.

Meanwhile, ordinary citizens shouldn't hesitate to call the SPCA if
they see an animal being neglected or abused. Don't wait until the
dog is emaciated or the cat is half-frozen to death before you pick
up the phone. If you get a tape recording, speak clearly and give the
exact location and describe the situation, Beall said.

To help an animal in distress "all you need to do is make an
anonymous complaint," Beall said.

The SPCA of Atlantic County can be reached at (609) 927-9059 and the
Cumberland County SPCA can be reached at (856) 691-1500.

To e-mail Elaine Rose at The Press:

ERose@pressofac.com

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