This is HOW it starts...  I can’t in my wildest imagination grasp at why someone would want to do these acts of abuse.  What is it?  Curiosity?  Fun?  Boredom?  To watch an animal suffer unimaginable pain and a horrifying death? I wish I knew. Saddest part is, what role do their parents play in these behaviors?

Note: These cases are juvenile offenders so the convictions may never be public unless they turn 18 by the time they are sentenced. We can only hope parental and counseling will be the key here.

Don't let this happen to you. Know who you leave your pets in the care of if you go on vacation. This could have been avoided.

Dog Freezes to Death Under Care of Teen Pet Sitter – VIDEO

Four dogs, three removed by animal control due to neglect and starvation, too late for the fourth that froze to death under the care of a teenage pet sitter while the family was away on a 10-day vacation.  When the Taylor family of Clarksville, TN returned from their vacation that is what they were greeted with and now they want the 16-year-old, a friend of their son who was given the responsibility to look after their home and pets, to be charges with a crime.

It was lucky that the family’s neighbor’s noticed that something was amiss and called animal control who showed up with food and water for the neglected dogs and left a note for the homeowner.  When they came back to check on the situation, sadly it was too late for one of the dogs, a pitbull named T-mac, who had frozen to death.  They removed the other three dogs at that time.  Pity they didn’t take them the first time they stopped by but perhaps the situation didn’t seem dire then, it wasn’t as cold, who knows. “A couple of hours probably in this cold, especially when it dropped down to the teens, it wouldn’t take any time for an animal to freeze to death,” said David Selby of Animal Control.

Kevin Taylor was allowed to pick up his remaining three dogs and wants to press charges against the teen. The problem is that there needs to be evidence of some kind of a binding contract or agreement placing the responsibility for caring for the dogs in the hands of the 16-year-old. Animal control is checking with the DA to see what, if any charges, will be filed.

This is a sad situation, one that should never have happened. Something like this happened to me quite a few years ago when Jezzie was just a puppy and I also had two other dogs plus a menagerie of birds, luckily without the consequences that the Taylor family have to face. I had to go out of town on business for about a week and a friend said their 16-year-old son would be happy to stay at the house and care for me babies. I wasn’t comfortable leaving them but knew the friend and his family and they assured me that they would make sure everything was taken care of. On the second day away when I couldn’t get an answer at home when I called I cut my trip short, drove 6 hour and came back only to find that no one had been there, my house was a mess and the babies had no food or water. Luckily I was gone only a day and a half and aside from a mess to clean up and hungry and thirsty dogs and birds, there was no lasting consequences.

I can tell you that since then I have never left my babies in anyone else’s care and won’t. I question if the Taylor family called the teen that was supposed to be watching their home and dogs to check on things at home. Generally I don’t like to place blame on a family that has lost beloved furry family members but just how responsible is a 16-year-old? My heart does go out to the family for their loss and I hope this warns people to be extremely careful who you leave the care of your pets to. I’ve even heard horror stories about kennels and boarding places. It’s sad when you don’t know who to trust.

Actions have consequences. She should have thought about her baby daughter before she killed the hamster. If she can be this cruel to a hamster what about her children? DHS ? Hummmm

DA Drops Charges Against Girl in Hamster Death

Mar 11, 2011 |

The Brooklyn district attorney has dropped animal cruelty charges against a Brooklyn teenager who was accused of killing her brother's pet hamster. Prosecutors dropped the charges because of "inconsistency" in the various versions of the event, a spokesman said. The ASPCA had said the bizarre hamster dispute occurred last June, when 19-year-old Monique Smith came home to find her hamster dead. Suspecting her brother, Aaron Smith, 25, Monique Smith grabbed his pet hamster and allegedly threw it to the ground, before crushing the small animal with her hand and tossing it into the street. Aaron Smith reportedly called the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement unit.

According to Assistant Director Joseph Pentangelo, the agency arrived on the scene and found the hamster in the street in front of their Bushwick home. Authorities immediately began an investigation, and Pentangelo said Monique Smith avoided authorities for nine months before finally being arrested this week. "She knew the investigation was leading to her, she knew she was responsible for the hamster's death, and she was evading ASPCA agents," Pentangelo said.

But Larry Smith, Monique's father, told NBC New York that the hamster was playing in an exercise ball when his son kicked it accidentally, killing the tiny occupant. Their mother, Theresa Smith, told a slightly different story to the Daily News. Prosecutors dropped the charges, which included one count of cruelty to animals, three counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony.

To read more: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/Sibling-Rivalry-Leads-to-Pets-Death-117750693.html

Now here's something you don't see everyday... 

Posted on February 18th, 2011 by Matt Roberts
http://dailyscene.com/teen-burglar-kills-goldfish-to-eliminate-witnesses/

Rest in peace Goldie, Sunshine and the little Unknown name one. 

These 2 teens have not been convicted yet.. I will be watching tho...

  This recent case of horrific cruelty comes at a time when all eyes are looking towards Baltimore. The trial of Travers and Tremayne Johnson  ( Look under pending 2011 cases) is currently underway.  They are the twin brothers accused of burning a Pit Bull named Phoenix back in 2009.

Now Baltimore has a cat stuffed into a milk crate, doused with lighter fluid, and set on fire.   She was also nursing three kittens.   

The cat, named “Mittens,” was brought to BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter), along with her newborn kittens after police responded to the call.  Witnesses told police that two boys placed Mittens in a milk crate on a back porch, doused the crate and the cat with lighter fluid and then struck a match and threw it in the crate. Once on fire, Mittens broke free from the crate and hysterically ran around the yard, running in circles until the flames were out.  She then ran into the home and was hiding under a table until police arrived.

Mittens has suffered from very severe third and fourth degree burns and her ears were burned off.  She will survive but  she will need long term treatment and her fur may never grow back.   Mittens is managing to nurse her kittens in spite of the injuries. What is with these kids?  Was this a copy cat of what happened to Phoenix?  What…they read it in the news and decided it might be great fun to torch an animal?  It really scares the crap out of people to see kids capable of committing such horror.  

Two 17 year-old boys have been charged with arson and animal cruelty.  They were arrested after the owner of the cat called the police.  Lets hope the authorities press charges to the fullest against these little scum-sucking bottom feeders.  Baltimore’s Anti-Animal Abuse Commission has its work cut out for them.  Signed into law just this past November, the Anti-Animal Abuse Commission will work to help Baltimore prevent and prosecute animal cruelty, including dog fighting.  This commission started out as a task force in response to the fatal burning Phoenix. Instead of hiding their heads, the city decided to confront animal cruelty head-on. The Commission comprises of the State Attorney’s office, Baltimore City Council, the Mayor’s office, BARCS, and MDSPCA (Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), along with the ASPCA.  They have already met and drafted a report that outlines a campaign to eradicate animal abuse. It includes recommendations for investigating animal cruelty cases, training law enforcement and other professionals who respond to animal cruelty incidents, and drafting anti-animal cruelty legislation.

Looks like they better start looking heavily at the juveniles of Baltimore.  There seems to be an epidemic out there and it doesn’t look like it will be eradicated real soon.

To read more: http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/animal-advocacy/baltimore-is-burning

Update 10/9/09 – Teen That Drowned Puppies During Burglary Identified

Four months after the horrific crime galvanized Jacksonville, FL, in which a home was burglarized and the burglar took a crate with two little puppies in it and tossed it in the backyard pool for the babies to drown, a suspect has been arrested.  And the suspect is a 16 year old teen!!

You can imagine the how terrible it was for the homeowner to come home that day to find her home had been invaded, ransacked and burglarized but to find her two puppies, cruelly drowned in their locked crate at the bottom of the pool!  She says she’s still traumatized by the incident. The teen’s name has not been released because he is a minor but it’s reported that he attends Sandalwood High School and investigators were alerted to him after a friend of the teen tipped them off.

Animal abuse is horrifying at any time but when you find a child as the abuser, it makes it even more horrifying and in this case, to throw to defenseless puppies that were locked in a crate, a place that was supposed to be safe, into a pool to drown, I am just stunned speechless at the cruelty. What could ever make anyone do that, let alone someone so young? This young man is now incarcerated and charged with burglary and animal abuse.

Someone this young, who most likely is being charged as a juvenile, you have to ask where he will be headed as he enters into adulthood? More violent and cruel crimes? A budding sociopath?  You wonder what he’s done in the past to lead up to this.

Good parenting skills would make a huge dent in the number of persons sent to prison, too, but humans always seem to go about solving a problem ass-backwards. There are at least three generations of young people out there that operate without the benefit of empathy, compassion and a mildly functioning conscience. It is a very dangerous time in our history.

To read more or see the video: http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/teen-arrested-for-killing-2-puppies-during-home-burglary-video

I believe we may be looking at the face of a potential future psychopath here.  This is 18-year-old Tyler Vincent Castellano of Sevier, TN. In March Castellano and a 17-year-old friend were out when a stray dog came over to them and apparently got into a “scuffle” with their dog. After they broke the dogs up, I guess they decided to get rid of the stray and what they did to the poor dog was what animal control officers called one of the worst cases of animal cruelty they’d even seen!

They led the pitbull about a mile away from the home where they were at, tied her to a tree and beg and stabbing her. As she struggled and tried to get away she wrapped herself tighter and tighter around the tree and the boys continued to torture and stab her. Then they untied her and tossed her in a hole where they completed the job by beating her to death with a cedar branch. “It’s pretty devastating,” Sevier County Animal Control Officer Deputy Chris Hughes said. “The method in this particular one is what made it so brutal and made it stand out.” Castellano was charged with felony animal cruelty, intentional killing of an animal. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail, must undergo anger management classes, a psychological evaluation and counseling, must hold a job for two years and attain his GED. The 17-year-old companion was sentenced to 65-hours community service and a psychological evaluation and counseling as well.

If you'd like to read more:

http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/dog-brutally-tortured-to-death-one-teen-killer-gets-jail-video

Dog Owner Indicted For Throwing Year-Old Pet Off 6-Story Roof

Here we have yet another case of justice meting out injustice when it comes to an animal abuser! In mid-June, an 18-year-old Springfield, OR man, Lucas Xavier Fourmyle, decided to play martial artist on a 14-week-old puppy and pummeled the puppy named Buddy so badly with his fists and hands that he ruptured the tiny baby’s liver.

He was washing the puppy’s blood off his hands and taking it back tohis s crate when the puppy’s owner returned. This was not even his own puppy but he belonged to a roommate. Lane County Circuit Judge Eveleen Henry sentenced Fourmyle, a first time offender, to 10 days jail, 2 years probation and he is to pay $490.48 restitution to the puppy’s owner, the amount of the vet bill. Fourmyle also has to undergo mental health evaluation and any recommended treatment. He also can have no contact with domestic animals or weapons. The prosecutor was frustrated with the state’s sentencing guidelines and even the judge expressed concern that she would see this waste of human life back in court again and feared what he might do to other helpless beings in the future, such as children.

http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/a-10-day-sentence-for-felony-animal-abuse

  

Pet Justice

   (Tiger Lilly is the kitty )

A heartless kitty killer hissed angrily at animal rights activists Wednesday, grinning widely as she took credit for stuffing the helpless pet into a 500-degree oven. "It's dead, bitch!" snapped an unrepentant Cheyenne Cherry, sticking her tongue out after a plea bargain that will put her behind bars for a year in the May 6 killing of tiny Tiger Lily. Cherry, 17, was confronted after her guilty plea in Bronx Supreme Court to charges of animal cruelty and attempted burglary in the May 6 killing at her former roommate's apartment. Tiger Lily was left to die inside the blistering oven after Cherry and a 14-year-old friend trashed the apartment of Valerie Hernandez, destroying furniture before stealing DVDs and food.  Cherry pleaded guilty to two charges in a six-count indictment. She was also arrested for robbing a man of his iPod at gunpoint. The dozen animal lovers who attended the hearing said they represented more than 20,000 people who signed an online petition supporting harsh punishment for Cherry.

Cat set on fire by a 9 year old, dies from injuries Darby, PA (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Jul 5, 2009
County: Delaware
Disposition: Alleged

Police in Delaware County search for a person who set a cat on fire, killing the animal. The cat was still alive when it was found Sunday night, but it had extensive injuries and didn’t survive. The vet who treated him estimated he was only about a year old, but based on what she saw, it was a brutal year, and a brutal death. Animal control officer Dave Schlott rescued him Sunday morning, from behind the Darby library. “The cat was lying down. And he was amongst the poison ivy."
"He was really sweet, and it was sad because it was sort of like, the last few hours of his life were maybe the one time he was shown some affection and compassion, and was warm and cared for, we spent every second with him,” Resnick said. Witnesses reported seeing a boy in the area, right before the cat was found. Darby council president Janice Davis is determined to find whoever did this, especially if it was a child. "God if they harm the animal, what would they do next, you know, as they get older? If you have that much heart to go out and burn an animal, I don't think you would care too much about what you would do to a human."
Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact Darby Police at (610) 586-1100

Case Update
Darby police said Wednesday they have found the person who allegedly set a cat on fire over the weekend. The suspect is a 9-year-old boy, according to police. Darby police said they have turned the boy over to the county's children and youth services department so he can receive professional mental health help.
Source: MyFox Philly - July 8, 2009

Read more: Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Cat set on fire, dies from injuries - Darby, PA (US) http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/15845/PA/US/#ixzz1GJryGjwQ

Ember, a black Labrador,  was reported missing by her family on February 28.  She was found Wednesday when two boys were riding their motor bikes in the woods behind New Albany School in Cinniminson, NJ and noticed wires sticking out of the ground.

When the boys investigated they found more than they ever expected. Pulling on the wires unearthed the head of the dead black lab, the wires attached to her collar. Authorities were called to the scene and confirmed that it was indeed Ember who was reported missing weeks ago and a necropsy revealed that death was caused by a beating and a .22 shot to the back of her head, execution style. It didn’t take the police long to track down the abusers who so cruelly and viciously killed Ember, two juveniles, a 15 and 17-year-old.  These two little monsters are already well on their way to a life of serious violent crime. At 15 and 17 years old their lives are essentially over unless they make some serious changes and I would like to be more optimistic but at the rate these teens are going, they’re going to wound up in prison before long, not just jail, but prison and if this is the kind of behavior they find preferable, then that’s where they belong and God help them!