Bernstein was right to prosecute dog-burning

I am writing to commend Baltimore State's Attorney Gregg Bernstein and his staff for their outstanding work on the Phoenix dog burning case ("Twins acquitted in dog-burning case," April 12). Although The Snyder Foundation for Animals is an organization which advocates for the welfare of animals, we have never viewed this case as strictly an animal abuse issue. As so much contemporary research has conclusively demonstrated, the uncomfortable reality is that serious abuse of animals often escalates to later violence against people. In short, we believe you don't have to be an animal lover to be deeply disturbed by this particular manifestation of brutality.

While the outcome of the trial was not what many of us had hoped it would be, the state's attorney's decision to invest scarce public resources in bringing this case to retrial makes it clear that his was not solely a concern about a singularly sickening instance of animal abuse but, rather, a larger concern for public safety.

Thanks, Mr. Bernstein.

Lora Junkin, Baltimore

The writer is executive director of The Snyder Foundation for Animals.