Courtney Foster
Jour 377
D. Jackson
10/13/11
Word Count: 1,051
Mississippi’s Disregard to Save the Lives of Innocent Animals
When the name Jeffrey Dahmer emerges, perhaps it sends chills down the spine or bodies cringe with terror. Commonly known as the deranged serial killer, rapist, necrophiliac of the late ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s who murdered 17 men and boys; Dahmer not only gained satisfaction from human abuse, but also found leisure in decapitating dogs, and impaling cats and frogs.
Now that the brain has been rattled by such an image, envision living in a town, such as Oxford, which does not implement any consequences for such carnage. The state of Mississippi stands as one of the four states including Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota that excuses animal abuse as a felony. Currently upholding approximately 116 cases alone, what could be the incentive behind permitting the freedom to subject innocent animals to such harm?
Malcolm McMillin, sheriff of Mississippi’s largest county, Hinds County, supports making animal cruelty a felony; stating that “People who abuse animals often commit other crimes, including abusing children. What we know about animal abusers is that they’re often involved in child abuse, domestic violence, drugs, and other criminal activities.”
Since the 1970s, FBI investigations identified that most serial killers had killed or tortured animals as children or teenagers. Along with Jeffrey Dahmer, who performed his first animal brutality at the age of 10 years old, are other notable killers that have been connected to this concept. Carroll Edward Cole was charged with 35 murders, and had also strangled a puppy as a child. Throughout his youth, Albert DeSalvo shot arrows at dogs and cats as they were trapped inside of crates. Recently, Luke Woodham, 16, Pearl, had tortured animals before commencing in multiple shooting sprees. A more recognizable case is that of the two Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Before shooting 12 of their classmates, and later themselves, would brag to their friends about the animal mutilations they had done.
Dr. Randall Lockwood, the senior vice president for anti-cruelty for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, states “A kid who is abusive to a pet is quite often acting out of violence directly experienced or witnessed in the home. About one-third of children who are exposed to family violence will act out this violence, often against their own pets.”
The line that distinguishes human abuse from animal abuse is very fine. People who participate in animal and human abuse usually do it for the same reason, and that is to seek power or control. As much of these sadistic individuals lack self-esteem, the ability to control an animal or a person is gratifying. Unfortunately, this violence acts as a double-edged sword, as victims of abuse sometimes become executors.
“When women abuse animals, they almost always have a history of victimizing themselves. That’s where a lot of that rage comes from. Those who abuse animals for no obvious reason are ‘budding psychopaths,’ they have no empathy and only see the world as what it’s going to do for them,” Lockwood said.
Lockwood’s notion about women and their involvement with animal abuse directly correlates with the two cruelty cases that occurred in Lafayette County. Laquita Wells looked outside the window of her house in 2004 to see that her dog, Bighead, had been shot in the shoulder. The suspect has still not been identified. Fortunately, this individual does not have much to fear from his or her transgressions, other than a maximum fine of $1,000 and a maximum jail time of one year. Mississippi’s lack of punishment and lenient laws regarding animal cruelty instigated much public concern in the case of Lucy Leslie in 2006. After allegedly being accused of neglecting her dog which later resulted in its death, Leslie was only issued a citation by Oxford police.
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| Two Boxer puppies keep warm in their cages at the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society |
Cyd Dunlap, president of the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society says “Mississippi does not have strong animal laws. If you see things like this, such as the Leslie case, please call Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society to report any cruelty or neglect. You can remain anonymous; we must stop this from happening.”
In an attempt to improve and bring awareness to Mississippi’s existing animal rights laws, committees have issued the House Bill 710, and if passed, it could potentially make animal abuse charges harsher than a misdemeanor.
“Please contact your representative to pass bill 710 to increase penalties for animal neglect and cruelty. The animals need your help,” Dunlap said.
Along with Dunlap, some Mississippi-based organizations have engaged in the fight for the protection of animals. Gail Brown, president of Mississippi-Fighting Animal Cruelty Together, otherwise known as MS-FACT, has been consistently visiting the State Capitol two days a week to meet with senators and representatives and discuss passing tougher animal laws. In addition to protecting animals, passing these laws would help to protect people from criminals who could potentially present violence against humans.
“Mississippi has come a long way in the last two years, but still has a tough road ahead to get necessary laws in place needed to protect our precious pets from violent acts of abuse and living in inhumane conditions where they continue to suffer each and every day,” Brown said.
In an effort to cease the issue of animal abuse and bring awareness, Oxford citizens can access information and public records, such as the cases of Laquita Wells and Lucy Leslie, and more local animal brutalities on Pet-Abuse.com. This website offers a complete detailed database showing every abuse case that has occurred in each state. The webpage provides local and national interactive maps showing the cases where the alleged and convicted abusers have had a history of animal cruelty. Most importantly, there is a chart that displays the state, year, maximum jail time, and maximum fine, counseling, and protection orders of each case.
Also, lending a hand to the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society can aid in expanding the knowledge of this crime. Located on 413 McElroy Drive, volunteers can walk, feed, and perhaps adopt the homeless animals.
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| The Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society houses many young puppies waiting to be adopted |
The OLHS mission statement declares “Our mission is to improve the plight of lost, unwanted, abandoned, and homeless animals by providing shelter, care, rescue, adoption services, and foster homes; to investigate incidents of animal cruelty, abandonment, and neglect; and to promote responsible pet ownership by advocating spay/neuter, permanent identification, and the humane and compassionate treatment of animals.”
Contact List:
Cyd Dunlap (president of Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society)
(662)-236-7633
Gail Brown (president of MS-FACT)
Jeffrey Dahmer. (2011). Biography.com. Oct 11, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/jeffrey-dahmer-9264755
Lauren, B. (2011, January 12). Making animal abuse a felony. Retrieved from http://www.petanim.com/9113/jlbenton/making-animal-abuse-felony/
Pet-abuse.com. (2001). Retrieved from http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/home.php
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