Animal cruelty is difficult to hear about and even harder to look at, but it’s important that we circulate stories surrounding abuse and neglect to raise awareness. A necessary evil for now, if you will.
Of course, no sane human being likes the idea of any animal in pain, much less a beloved pet such as a cat or a dog. Despite this, however, animals all over the world are mistreated every day and only by taking a stand can we hope to change that.
Which is why we should never forget cases of animal abuse, no matter distasteful they are or how long ago they were. Take the case involving 18-year-old Logan Smoor, for example, who was jailed for 15 months and banned for life from owning animals for what he did to a six-month-old puppy.
According to reports, Smoor, of Christchurch, New Zealand, was sentenced on two charges of ill-treating animals back in 2016.
The 18-year-old had been left in charge of a cross-bred puppy, named Kia, while his father was overseas. When the father returned, he realized the dog was distressed and so sought help.
It was at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that Smoor’s devilish deeds became apparent. The pup had 11 fractures, including two to her lower jaw, several head and rib fractures and three leg fractures. She was starving and had no sight in her right eye.
The veterinary examiner told how she was in great pain. Ultimately, she had to be euthanised to end her suffering.
Judge Jane Farish sentenced Smoor to 15 months in prison for a string of horrendous acts, which also included killing his pet rat, assaulting a woman, and damaging a public bus.
It was what he did to poor Kia, though, that stands out as particularly brutal and cruel. Animal welfare inspector Claire Ripper described the case as being “one of the most distressing cases I’ve ever dealt with.
“It is terrible to think that Kia suffered such excruciating pain that even basic bodily functions such as eating, drinking and urination, would have been difficult to do and undoubtedly caused her further pain and distress,” she said.
Cases like this make me absolutely sick to my stomach. That poor pup did nothing wrong and was abused to the point where death was a better option than continuing to live in pain.
I sincerely hope Smoor used his time in prison to reflect upon his actions. If not, the world has no place for people like him.
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