Shelter updates: the electrical power has been hooked up so that lighting can be installed along with the heating and cooling system. The sheet rock will be put in this week, then the interior painting can begin. That is what is called progress! The DeKalb Animal Coalition needs monetary donations to help provide the inside necessities for the animals that will be in our care, such as cages, stainless steel bowls, a dryer, laundry detergent, and food (food at a later date). Buy a Brick and make a memory to family, friend, and/or animals, that will last a lifetime. The 4 X 4 brick is $45.00, the 8X8 brick is $70.00 which will be placed from the road to the front of the shelter. The bricks can be printed up to 84 characters: forms are at the DeKalb Animal Coalition Benefit Place, 110 W. Walnut St. (Fri. 10-4 Sat. 10-2), also at the Library, DeKalb Community Bank, Happy Tails, Sarah Cripps office, Liberty State Bank, DeKalb Animal Clinic, and the Community Center.
Qualifications and requirements necessary for the hiring of personnel needed to oversee the shelter operations will be announced in the newspaper. Volunteers are needed as well: please drop by the Benefit Place and leave your name and phone number: we are compiling a list for future use.
In a prior article, I wrote that Tennessee became the first state to publicly post an animal abuse registry that includes the name, photo, birth date and address of people who have been convicted of animal abuse.
In a move seen as a big win for animal rights activists, the FBI has added animal cruelty to its list of Class A felonies, alongside homicide and arson.
Cases of animal cruelty fall into four categories — neglect; intentional abuse and torture; organized abuse, such as cock and dog fighting; and sexual abuse of animals — and the agency is now monitoring them as it does other serious crimes. Data is being entered into the National Incident-Based Reporting System or NIBRS, the public database the FBI uses to keep a record of national crimes.
The FBI’s decision will not only be a way to stop cases of animal abuse but also can help to identify people who might commit violent acts, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Psychological studies show that nearly 70 percent of violent criminals began by abusing animals, and keeping statistics on such cases can help law enforcement track down high-risk demographics and areas.
"Regardless of whether people care about how animals are treated, people – like legislators and judges – care about humans, and they can’t deny the data," Natasha Dolezal, director of the animal law program in the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark College, in Portland, Oregon, told the Associated Press.
Animal abuse is already a felony in all 50 states.
Children who abuse animals are showing clear warning signs that they pose a risk to themselves and others. A child who abuses animals may be acting out against violence that is going on in the child’s home. Reporting and stopping animal abuse by children can help curb violent tendencies before they escalate to include harming people, involvement in property crimes and drug offenses. If you see something, say something: report animal abuse, neglect, cruelty to the Sheriff’s office, call them at 615-597-4935 or call your local Police Dept.
