Mischief & Moonray

A family and neighborhood in Montevallo, Alabama are still reeling from the worst case of animal abuse every reported in their area. The family’s pet pug was found skinned alive Friday morning after having gone missing for a few hours. Authorities are asking for help in finding the person(s) who tortured and mutilated the dog named Bama.

Friday morning started out like any other morning for Delana Dunnaway. Her husband let their dogs out into the yard when he left for work at 5:15. But that day, when Dunnaway woke up only a half an hour later, her 12 pound pug, Bama, was nowhere to be found. Dunnaway said that every time she called his name, her dogs ran to the back of the property and barked.

Family members searched for Bama for a few hours before finally finding him in the woods behind Dunnaway’s house. At first, the dog was unrecognizable. Bama was found with distinct cuts on his skin and his pelt had been almost completely removed. Bama was rushed to the Calera Animal Hospital.

Doctor Rhonda Ellison treated the pug and said that someone had skinned the dog alive. There were distinct straight edge cuts on the skin. “The skin was completely off his back and off side of his flanks and from his neck to his legs” said Ellison. The vet also said that the pug had trauma to his head, as though he’d been hit with a blunt object.

Dennis Potter, a manager at the Calera Animal Hospital, says what happened to Bama was not caused by another animal. It was intentional because the cuts were too precise. There was no doubt in his mind or Ellison’s that it was done intentionally.

Ellison said that the pug was missing too much skin to be saved and that he was suffering horribly with more than 65 percent of his pelt missing. Dunnaway made the decision to euthanize Bama, who would have been two-years-old in September.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in 15 years, and this is the worst I’ve ever seen,” Ellison said. “It’s horrible, truly horrible.”

Dunnaway and her husband live off Shelby County 868 in Montevallo on the Chilton County line. Dunnaway said it is a close knit community and she doesn’t know who would have entered her property and taken Bama. The Chilton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, and the State Humane Society in Jasper is offering a 5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The Chilton County Sheriff’s Office is asking that any tips be called in to: (205) 755-4698.

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A new study conducted at Massey University in New Zealand shows that animal cruelty is rampant among teenagers. Masters student Rochelle Connell did a survey of  133 teenagers for her thesis on finding the links between animal abuse, empathy and aggression.

Connell found that more than half the teenagers in her study had committed acts of animal cruelty. When just a sampling of boys was taken, that figure rose to 75%. Connell’s study was an examination of the conclusions from recent research in the United States that found cruelty to animals by children and adolescents is a form of rehearsal for human-directed aggression. Connell’s research findings supported the results from overseas.

About 10 per cent of males in Connell’s study admitted to feeding animals drugs or alcohol, burning them, poisoning them or dropping them off of something. One third of the boys reported throwing stones at animals, and a third admitted beating or kicking them. 8 percent said they had drowned or strangled animals.

Although most of the respondents attributed their actions to hunting, fishing or punishment, 14 per cent said it was “enjoyment”.

Connell’s survey included a “free response” section where teens could write in their experiences. The responses were chilling.

One 16-year-old boy said he shot a sheep with a BB gun because it “rammed his leg” and a 17-year-old said he had put his pet cat in the freezer for several hours and reported “I felt really good.”

Connell said there were few responses that indicated severe abuse, but that was contradicted by the other part of the survey, where significant percentages admitted to types of cruelty.

Most attributed it to hunting or fishing or punishment, but 14 per cent said it was “enjoyment.”

Hans Kriek, director of New Zealand animal advocacy group Save Animals From Exploitation, said the figures were “pretty disturbing”.

Numerous studies have shown a correlation between animal abuse and other violent crimes.

A study of 9 school shootings in the United States between 1996 and 1999 (Verlinden) reported that 45 percent of the perpetrators had histories of alleged animal abuse, including the shooters at Columbine.

The ASPCA says that one of the most powerful tools we have for preventing cruelty to animals is education, and that adults should model appropriate behaviors for youngsters. It is important to teach children kindness early, and to reinforce it as the child grows. By instilling a strong sense of what is wrong and right, adults can help children and teens overcome peer pressure and stand up against animal cruelty.