Stopping animal abuse, educating the public

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/08/2014 (3504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The cloud cover and cooler weather worked out well for the third annual Walk to Stop Animal Abuse. This year’s event took place Saturday morning in Steinbach with dogs and their handlers coming together for a few hours to walk and learn about the many resources available to pet owners.

Barry Piasta of dogadoption.mb.ca was urged to get the walk underway three years ago when his daughter B’Elanna, 9 year old at the time, was distressed by the many news reports of injured, abused and abandoned cats and dogs.

“She saw a lot of news reports,” said Piasta. “There were puppies thrown in the dumpster, a cat beaten with a bat, a cat thrown from a vehicle, and there were abandoned dogs. B’Elanna wanted to do something to show people they didn’t have to abandon their animals; that there are places to bring animals and help them.”

JUDY PETERS | THE CARILLON
Steinbach and area Animal Rescue set up shop at A.D. Penner Park on Saturday to share information at the third annual Walk to Stop Animal Abuse. The rescue is working on acquiring non-profit charitable status and raising funds for an animal shelter in Steinbach. The rescue has four kittens who will soon be ready for adoption. More information can be found at www.steinbachanimalrescue.com.
JUDY PETERS | THE CARILLON Steinbach and area Animal Rescue set up shop at A.D. Penner Park on Saturday to share information at the third annual Walk to Stop Animal Abuse. The rescue is working on acquiring non-profit charitable status and raising funds for an animal shelter in Steinbach. The rescue has four kittens who will soon be ready for adoption. More information can be found at www.steinbachanimalrescue.com.

Piasta is also passionate about educating people. During the walk, he shared a lot of information about cats and dogs, about rescues and veterinary care. He also talked about people who abuse animals.

“A lot of times, (animal abuse) can be a sign of something more that’s going on with the abuser,” Piasta said. “The majority of serial killers started off abusing animals.”

Jeffrey Dahmer, Albert DeSalvo (the “Boston strangler”), David Berkowitz (the “Son of Sam”) and Carroll Edward Cole, a serial killer accused of 35 deaths, all recounted animal torture as their first violent act. When counselors at several federal penitentiaries evaluated inmates for levels of aggression, 70% of the most violent prisoners had serious and repeated animal abuse in their childhood histories, as compared to 6% of non-aggressive prisoners in the same facilities.

With their limited resources, local law enforcement can’t always make animal cruelty incidents a top priority. Perhaps more public education can make a difference. That is what Piasta is hoping for. By looking at the connection between animal cruelty and human violence, more attention should be focused on those who abuse animals to prevent animal abusers from escalating to crimes against people, he said.

Read the full story about the impact animal abuse has on people in the Southeast in the Aug. 28, 2014 print copy of The Carillon.

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