Animal Abuse! Please help!

[chocolatecoffee]

There's this teenager at my school who has been showing his friends a video of himself beating his cats. I want to charge him, or at least get the cats out of his possession. I know a rescue that would definitely take the cats, but I don't know how I could get them. I'd probably need proof, but the video is on his cell phone so I don't know how I could get a copy of it. I could get him to confess if somebody wore a recorder, but would that be considered evidence, or could somebody argue that it wasn't obtained fairly and couldn't be used? Also, would it be possible to protect people that would get involved? Any information would be greatly appreciated. By the way, I live in Calgary. Thanks.

[lil_kirk]

Do you work at the school or are you a student?

Could you not bring this to the attention of the principal so that he/she could discuss the rumours with the student? Principals are certainly able to speak to students about unsettling rumours at school.

[chocolatecoffee]

Thanks for the reply. I'm a student, so I unfortunately don't have a lot of power. I know a lot of adults that would become involved, however.

I have considered going to the principal and would if there are no other options, but I'm not sure how that would work. I think that if the rumour would get out and somehow ruin the reputation of the school, the administration would be hesitant to take much action (I might be wrong, but that's just what I think about the school. They're VERY concerned about their reputation). This person also does not seem like he would care if the principal were to talk to him. That would be the obvious first step, but I'm also worried that if the principal were to talk to him, but nothing was done to help the animals in the situation, he would be less likely to talk anymore and the cats couldn't be helped.

If that's the only situation, I would definitely do it, but I'm wondering if anything else could be done that would be more productive.

[Carina]

That's horrible.
Young people who abuse animals are quite often victims of abuse themselves, and many serial killers & sadists start out with animals. So in all likeliehood this kid is in trouble & needs serious intervention.
(I'm not saying this to evoke pity for him, BTW.)

Contacting the following people should get you some answers though....principal, school counselor, police, humane society.
I wish you luck & hope this young man gets both the help he needs and the snot beaten outta him for doing what he's doing.
And the kids who look at his videos & don't say anything, or think it's entertaining, need their snot beaten out too.

[twodogsandacat]

Contact the Humane Society. They will contact the Police and if the phone needs to be siezed they will do it properly.

The mere fact that you stated the school may try to cover it up to protect it's reputation indicates that you don't trust them. Go with your instinct here.

The Humane Society will have the desire, the police will have the knowledge and you must have the guts. You have come here looking for help so we know your heart is in the right place.

This is not some detention worthy prank. It is serious and needs to be nipped in the bud - now. If this helps please visit pet-abuse.com to view the link between animal abusers and human abusers. Today it's a cat...tomorrow it's a human.
http://pet-abuse.com/connection/

Good Luck..you are doing the right thing...

[lil_kirk]

As far as reputation goes--the school will look far worse if it is uncovered later that a student of theirs was abusing animals and they did nothing, than for it be uncovered that they responsibly, and maturely intervened in this animals abuse situation.

Whether the student will do anything or not if approached by the principal is none of your concern. I do believe that it is important for you to hand this off to someone in an authoritative position. If the principal approaches the student and gathers additional information from friends, etc, he can certainly take this to the HS and call in the parents of this student. It is afterall his job--and he would NOT want to have this student ruin their reputation.

I'm not sure how the HS works, but I can't see them calling up this young person without having more information--fear of defamation by the parents, etc...I may be wrong. I don't know much about the way the HS handles complaints like this.

Ultimately, if this student is violent you should not handle it yourself.

[twodogsandacat]

The Calgary Humane Society WILL investigate and they will involve the police. Call them to discuss the options. If an inexperienced principle starts an investigation evidence may be lost. At least call the Humane Society first @250-7722. They will let you know if they have enough information to act. Why guess...make the call and get the answers you need.

http://www.calgaryhumane.ca/
__________________________________________________ __________

The Protection Department

Our Special Constables respond to all complaints of animal cruelty and neglect. The majority of the concerns that the department investigates are easily resolved matters where the Special Constables use the opportunity to educate people on animal protection laws. In severe circumstances, the animals can be seized and/or the owner criminally charged.
What is Cruelty and Neglect?

The Protection Department enforces animal protection laws that pertain to cruelty and neglect. In 2003, the Protection Department responded to 1259 concerns involving:

How do I Report Animal Abuse?

If you witness an act of animal cruelty or animals being deprived of adequate food, water, shelter or care, you can make a confidential complaint by calling 250-7722. If the Humane Society is closed or your the call is in regards to the poisoning of pet, please call Calgary Police Service at 266-1234.

[raingirl]

what twodogs said. I would suggest not going to the principal. If he talks to the student, the student may erase the evidence.

If it were me, I would call the police asap first and have them seize the evidence.

[chico2]

Without question I would contact HS ASAP,at least here where I am,if you suspect animal-abuse of any kind,they want you to report it,always better safe than sorry!!
The HS will know what to do....maybe you heard of the horrific case of"Kensington"the cat here in Toronto,tortured to death by 3 monsters,videotaped.
It was too late for Kensington,but maybe this kids cats are still around and can be saved.
I realize you are young and worried,but this has to be stopped ASAP,Humane Society and subsequently the police,is the only way to go..
Forget the principal,he'll find out soon enough if there is an investigation.
But please,be a heroin and stop this from happening to innocent animals :sad:

[Schwinn]

I would definitely call either the police or the Humane Society. If you are really worried about being anonymous, I would call Crime Stoppers. I definitely wouldn't go to the principal, because really, the school has no authority for anything off of school property. Plus, as everyone else has said, the evidence could be erased.

I personally don't have sympathy for someone who would tape it. It is one thing to be mean or cruel to animals because of personal issues, but to actually tape it and show it off is taking it to a whole new level, one where my patience doesn't reach.

[heeler's rock!]

OMG!!!! I can't believe this little punk!! I'm in Calgary too, and if you need my help at all, please don't hesitate to PM me. This needs to be stopped now, and the Humane Society may be your best option. They're trained to handle situations like this, and would be the best solution to this. Please let us know how things go.

[chico2]

Way to go Heelers

[Grissom's Mom]

I agree with going to the Humane Society. Just as a side note, unless the student were beating the cats on school property and this was known to the principle, I don't see how it would damage the school's reputation. It's the student that would have the bad reputation, not the school.

[heeler's rock!]

Thanks Chico!

Things like this just OUTRAGE me, and I am willing to help out in any way needed. I can't imagine being young, and having to deal with this on my own. I'll even report him incase chocolatecoffee is affraid of what he may do. This needs to be addressed and dealt with, as these cats can't speak for themselves. We need to keep them safe and away from jerks like this!!

[Heinz57]

I'm with heeler's rock, call now, do not get the school involved as the kid may be forwarned. If you need help, you can PM me too, I'm also in Calgary and have 2 teenage boys, one of whom is sitting here offering his services (ahem down boy!). That is so sad, I hope the cats are okay and can find decent LOVING homes! :sad:

[chocolatecoffee]

Thank you SO much for all of the help and support.

Of course, rumours like this spread like wildfire in a small school. I'm not sure what's truth or fiction, however the HS will be able to figure that out. He just moved here from England this year, and I heard that the cats are in England, but I've also heard that the cats are here. I've also heard that he actually beat a cat to death, but I'm not sure about the reliability of all of this. Should I go ahead and get somebody to wear a recorder, or should I hold off?

My mom just got in touch with somebody who runs an animal rescue in High River. We're involved with this rescue and she's a very nice person. She said that she could call the school and tell the principal to confiscate the phone. Since it's obviously a camera phone, and camera phones aren't allowed in any public property, he could confiscate it on these terms. Then we'd have the evidence. She also said that she would call the principal and tell her that she's been in touch with some parents that are concerned. Maybe, if the people from Calgary (thank you for offering to help!) could call him too, he'd know that it's getting out and, in an attempt to save the reputation of the school, take action (call the HS and police, since as was mentioned, they have no control what goes on out of school property). I was just thinking that the school could confiscate the phone without mentioning anything about the abuse, but it might be better if the HS does that too and the school doesn't become involved at all. I'm not really sure, so I'm open to all opinions of course.

I'll update as soon as anything new comes up.

[heeler's rock!]

Here's what I would do.....

1) Call the HS here in Calgary, not the small rescue in High River. I'm sure the lady in High River is great, but the HS deals with animal abuse calls and would have more of an impact on the principal and/or the boy in question.

2) Let the HS talk to the principal about confiscating the phone. The HS can start a legal investigation with the Calgary Police, and that way if your principal tries to cover this all up by deleteing any images on the phone, he/she can be charged with destroying evidence in a legal investigation.

3) If the HS finds something on the phone that would give them legal grounds to remove the cats, ask them then if the lady in High River can take on the cats so they do not face the possibility of euthanasia.

[Shamrock]

Excellent suggestions from Heeler's Rock, I think this is the most thorough and cautious way to handle this.

I dont know if any of you saw the tv program last niight on A&E network of this very topic?. It was called "The Cruelty Connection" and explored the link between serial killlers and sadistic cruelty towards animals in teenager boys .

I turned it off after five minutes- too disturbing.. and am still trying to get the ghaslty horror out of my mind. We all know this exists, sadly.. but I just cant hear the details.

People who do this sort of thing are seriously twisted and sick, they need intervention, psychiiatric help. They will continue their atrocities, some do move on to people.

Many kudos to you and your mom for your intervention..
Good luck to you, and let us know how this proceeds, wont you?

[sammiec]

Originally Posted by Shamrock

I dont know if any of you saw the tv program last niight on A&E network of this very topic?. It was called "The Cruelty Connection" and explored the link between serial killlers and sadistic cruelty towards animals in teenager boys .

I was BAWLING after 5 minutes. I couldn't watch either. The tourture of that man's dog because they were bored. I hate people.

Heeler's Rock has a GREAT idea. I seriously think that is one to be taken into consideration.

[Iggette]

This kind of thing bother me tremendously
and the thought that this is not the only case, just one that we happened to hear about, bothers me even more.


chocolatecoffee.......You are a excellent person for wanting to do something about this situation and you deserve a big hug for caring the way you do about this cat.....I hope said cat is still alive and the rumours of it's demise are not true. I also hope whatever you deside to do, that this person is caught and the evidence is still there for charging purposes.

Cheers......your great in my books

[chico2]

Sammiec,I was watching that too,but I switched when I saw the Golden(I think it was)tied to a tree and the man said"there is my next victim"....
I am ashamed of the human race to produce those kind of monsters..
I am definetly not a violent person,don't even kill flies,but if I ever was witness to such cruelty,the perpetrator would wish he never met me

[meb999]

Originally Posted by chico2

I am ashamed of the human race to produce those kind of monsters..
I am definetly not a violent person,don't even kill flies,but if I ever was witness to such cruelty,the perpetrator would wish he never met me

I feel EXACTLY the same way! I sometimes think humains were the biggest evolutionary mistake ever!
I couldn't watch the show on animal cruelty. If you want to pick on someone..pick on someone your own size, who can defend themselves. What, you think picking on a poor defenseless animal makes you a big person????

Chocolate, you are very courageous...I remember when I was in high school I had no spine, and I'm not sure I would have stood up and outted this guy. you're doing the right thing. I would listen to Heeler's Rock advice....

Good luck, I hope those poor animals get help! You are definetly doing the right thing. Animal abuse leads to humain abuse...maybe this guy will get help if he gets found out...

[chocolatecoffee]

Sorry for taking so long to update, but I've gotten some more information. I finally got the kid's name, but I'm not sure if I can report it. He beat the cat up in England and the people who saw it said that they didn't know if it was dead or not, but it was REALLY beat up. So unfortunately I don't think that the HS would be able to take the cat away, but would they still be able to charge him? The evidence is on his cell phone still, although he beat the cat up in England and he doesn't have any cats in his current home. Would the HS look into it and try to charge him?

[Carina]

I'm guessing he can't be charged for animal abuse because it happened in another jurisdiction.
But he clearly needs help, and there surely must be some sort of school rule he's breaking - not just having the cell phone in school, but showing this awful video.
I think you're marvellous for caring enough to do something, and it will probably bother you for a long time if you do nothing. For your own peace of mind....can you talk to a school counselor, perhaps? Perhaps you and your mother could talk to someone at the school together?

[chocolatecoffee]

It's too bad the Humane Society can't do anything. I'll call them this morning just to be sure, but I didn't they they could either. I'll definitely talk to the school counselor and principal, and get a ton of parents calling too. Hopefully this will make them take it as serious as it is, and something can be done. However, are there any preventative measures that the school will be able to take to insure this doesn't happen again? I'm worried that out of anger and spite, he might abuse another animal, but this time he'll make sure it doesn't travel around the school.

I looked at the school Code of Conduct and it says "Students are expected to adhere to a high standard of moral and ethical conduct. Lying, cheating, stealing, possession and/or use of alcohol and drugs are examples of behaviour that will lead to disciplinary action" and "Any behaviour which occurs either at school or in public which has the effect of seriously jeopardizing the good name and reputation of (school name) will lead to disciplinary action", so I'm guessing he will get in trouble for this.

I know what you mean about it bothering me if I don't do anything. I can't believe how many people have heard about it and not done anything. More people than I thought have seen the video, and at the end the cat was injured beyond belief, yet they still don't do anything. A lot of parents know too, and they don't do anything besides think to themselves what a sick child this must be and maybe tell another parent. I mean you're supposed to be setting an example for your children, showing them the difference between right and wrong, and teaching them to stand up for what they believe in. My friend that is going to come with me to talk to the principal is the only other student that has even considered doing anything, and her mom is the only other parent that was going to complain to the school. I know I'm being sour by complaining about this, but it disgusts me how many people won't even stand up for an innocent, defenceless animal that was brutually attacked!

By the way, is www.pet-abuse.com working for anybody? I wanted to get some information off of it to bring with me when I talked to the principal and school counselor, but it hasn't been working for the past few days.

Thanks for all of the help!

[Schwinn]

Although there is probably not much that can be done as this was done in England, I would still notify the OSPCA and let them sort it out. I wouldn't mention that this was done elsewhere, just that this punk has a video of it on his phone. Let them investigate, and at least maybe it'll put a scare into him.

[Carina]

Well...I would think the school can only do so much. This kid's parents are the ones who really need to do something with their son...

[chocolatecoffee]

Sorry for not updating sooner, I was waiting to see how everything turned out.

My mom called the Humane Society the morning I last posted, and they were pretty much useless. They seemed to not want to get involved at all, but offered to take a report even though they weren't sure what they could do. My mom said she didn't want them to, but she'd rather speak with a constable so they put her in contact with one. He was equally useless. He said he couldn't do anything until they got the cell phone, but he was willing to try to get it himself. He said we could try to get it, then call him back. Sure, that'll really get the case moving.

Since the HS couldn't do anything, my principal was notified. Two parents complained and, surprisingly enough, he took it very seriously. I went to talk to him the same day the parents complained, but he didn't really want anything to do with me, which is understandable enough because you can't take risks that a student will blab. So I don't really know what happened after this point, but I know he did get the right cell phone. He said it wasn't as bad as the rumours claimed, he was kicking the cat as a "prank" (sure, not bad at all, and he plays soccer so he can kick pretty hard). He got in a whole lot of trouble, he tried to find out who told the principal but of course couldn't find out, and got even angrier. He does live with his uncle, so his uncle was called to the school and the principal talked to him. The principal also told my mom that his parents were coming from England to discuss it too. I'm disappointed that he didn't get suspended, let alone expelled, but the school did take it seriously.

I'm not sure what happened in regards to his parents coming from England, the principal hasn't updated my mom and the kid isn't talking about it anymore. I'm hoping I'll get another update, but I doubt it. I do think that the school is keeping a close eye on him though to make sure it doesn't happen again.

I guess it could have been taken less seriously and the school did do pretty much everything it could have. I might be missing parts of the story that I'm not aware of, but if I am I'm sure it'll come out soon enough. Thanks for all of the support here, and I'll be sure to update quicker if anything new comes up.

[twodogsandacat]

As my english cousin would say Bollocks. The SPCA and police should of investigated as it is a recorded video of abuse no matter where it happened. If they then felt that an offence did happen but it happened in England then they should then forward the video to the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Creulty to Animals) and the twit could deal with that the next time he returned to England.

Boarders shouldn't protect wankers like this.

ChocolateCoffee: You did the right thing and no matter how it turned out you should be proud of yourself.

[CyberKitten]

ChocolateCoffee - Good for you for doing the right thing!! and kudos to your mom as well! I wish like you that the boy in question had at least been suspended as a show of how seriously the school and law enforcement was taking it. Do you know if he still has his cat? (The HS should have at least taken the cat - though it may "belong" to the uncle).

I think you were very smart and brave!!