Cruelty To Animals

Take every form of abuse seriously The column "Where's outrage for athletes who abuse partners?" (Opinion Commentary, Aug. 8) complains that people appear to be more outraged by animal abuse than by domestic violence. I understand the writer's frustration. But I find it strange to compare victims of violence. Violence itself is the enemy and it should be taken seriously in all its forms. In fact, studies have shown that where there is animal abuse, there is often human abuse, too. A man who beats his dog is far more likely, statistically, than the average man is to hit his wife and children.

150 years ago in The Sun June 21: Apoplexy -- Mr. George Sagester, the watchman at the Front Street Theatre, fell in a fit of apoplexy, on Tuesday evening, and is not expected to recover. Mr. S. is quite an old man, and was one of the defenders of Baltimore in 1814.100 years ago in The Sun June 22: The heavy and general demand for cotton duck is keeping the mills of Baltimore and vicinity running to their utmost limit. Maryland is the great manufacturing centre of cotton duck, the output of its mills being much greater than the combined products of all the other mills in the United States.

Annapolis police arrested seven men on charges of dogfighting and animal cruelty Tuesday after officers found them in the woods behind the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals with three bloody and malnourished pit bulls.A Victor Haven neighborhood watch member called police about 4:30 p.m. after seeing the men wandering through the woods near the Back Creek Nature Preserve with the dogs. When police arrived on the SPCA property in the 1800 block of Bay Ridge Ave., they saw a group huddled around the snarling dogs.

An Elkton man was charged yesterday with stabbing a dog with a buck knife at a Cecil County park and throwing the wounded animal, which later died, into bushes after the dog kept running around his snowmobile.William Robert Shockley, 35, of the 400 block of Gallaher Road was charged with cruelty to animals, inflicting unnecessary pain on a dog and illegally operating an off-road vehicle in a state park. He was released on $1,000 bail.John Surrick, a spokesman for Maryland Natural Resources Police, said the Saturday evening stabbing was witnessed by an Elkton woman and her teen-age son.The woman told police that a dog was running around a snowmobile at Fair Hill Natural Environmental Area.

In 1869, Baltimore businessman William Woodward, shocked by the mistreatment he witnessed of workhorses in Baltimore City, persuaded 50 friends to help him form a society that would protest such treatment and protect all animals from abuse. The organization, named the Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Baltimore City, continues today, fulfilling its mission of protecting animals from mistreatment. All photos on this page are from the SPCA Archives.Within the next week, please send old photos of couples dressed alike to Way Back When, Sun Magazine, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21278.

Someone recently sent me a copy of a publication called the American Family Association Journal. It contained one of the most unbelievable stories I have ever read. See if you agree: "Jake Landon, a 42-year-old mechanic, is facing multiple counts of aggravated cruelty to animals as a result of his 21-day fight for survival when lost in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York."Last April, Landon's pickup skidded on a muddy road and slid into a ravine, where he lay unconscious for possibly two days.

PERHAPS I'M NOT fully evolved, not the sensitive, '90s kinda guy I like to think I am.Although I believe we still have room for improvement when it comes to women's rights, civil rights and gay rights, I think we may have gone just a bit too far when it comes to animal rights.By today's standards, I guess that makes me a bigot. I like to eat beef, pork and chicken. I think the use of animals for medical experiments -- when necessary -- is a responsible decision.What's more, I operate under the radical belief that human beings are superior to animals because we have consciences, greater intelligence and morals.

The owl and the pussycat reside contentedly at 3300 Falls Road in Hampden.Their abode is Evergreen on the Falls, the North Baltimore headquarters of the Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which looks more like an animal lover's bed-and-breakfast than a humane society headquarters.With its lawns, stands of ancient boxwood, roaming peacocks, tall trees, rose and perennial gardens, the place retains the feel of an old Baltimore estate removed from 20th century troubles.

There's a point for a few people at which the love of animals takes a perverse twist, where caring becomes cruelty.They bring in more animals than they can care for, telling themselves that any life is better than death. They refuse to find ++ new homes for any of their animals, believing no one else could love them as much. They resist humane groups' efforts to get them to improve living conditions for the animals. In the worst cases, they stop feeding the animals altogether, dooming them to slow, painful deaths.

Sell It YourselfI would like to take issue with the letter written by Joan Solomon in The Sun March 6, in which she implies that everyone needs a Realtor to sell a home. While I agree that agents work and earn their money, it is not that difficult to sell a home if one does one's homework.Not everyone has the time or the inclination, but for those who wish to try to sell their own homes, start by establishing a fair price (go to the courthouse for prices of comparable homes), hire a good real estate lawyer to read any contract presented and take him to settlement with you. I sold my last home in two days without any problems.

Invoking the memory of a pit bull set ablaze in Baltimore, Gov. Martin O'Malley has asked the state's attorney general to review Maryland's animal cruelty laws to determine if they are sufficient to deter such "heinous" crimes. The legal review comes as the Baltimore City Health Department is seeking help in finding whoever tortured a cat found bound with a chain and rope to a utility pole and severely burned by firecrackers on Wednesday. Animal Control officers found the dead animal in the 3700 block of Lewiston Ave. near Arlington Elementary School.

Two state agencies have begun investigating allegations of animal cruelty against the Cecil County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the state comptroller's office said it might investigate the facility's finances. The State Board of Veterinary Examiners said its investigation is under way, and several witnesses, including ex-employees of the animal shelter in Chesapeake City, said they have been contacted by state police to set up interviews. State police, who recently said they planned to start an investigation, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The Maryland State Police said yesterday that it will investigate allegations of misconduct by the Cecil County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, making it the third state agency to look into charges against the Chesapeake City animal shelter. More than 20 witnesses, including four former employees and four ex-volunteers, have submitted written accusations against the CCSPCA, ranging from animal cruelty and neglect to financial malfeasance. The state police are to investigate, along with the Maryland attorney general's office, which has assigned an attorney to look into the case, and the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, a division of the state Department of Agriculture, officials said.

Foie gras, French for fatty liver, is either a signature ingredient at white-tablecloth restaurants - or the most abject form of animal cruelty and unhealthy to boot. Animal lovers and health advocates squared off yesterday against white-jacketed chefs and restaurant owners over whether Maryland should ban the sale of the delicacy because of what ducks and geese must endure to produce it. But the emotional clash before a Senate committee in Annapolis lost some bite when the chief sponsor of the bill to outlaw trafficking in the high-price food unexpectedly announced she was leaning against going through with the legislation.

Susan P. Benzel, a sales coordinator and advocate for animal rescue, died Wednesday of lung cancer at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. The lifelong Parkville resident was 54. For the past 12 years, Ms. Benzel had been employed in sales at Alex Cooper Auctioneers and Oriental Rugs in Towson. She previously worked in the insurance industry and for several years in the 1980s served as facilities coordinator at the Baltimore Convention Center. A graduate of Parkville Senior High School, she had attended the former Baltimore County Community College.

Take every form of abuse seriously The column "Where's outrage for athletes who abuse partners?" (Opinion Commentary, Aug. 8) complains that people appear to be more outraged by animal abuse than by domestic violence. I understand the writer's frustration. But I find it strange to compare victims of violence. Violence itself is the enemy and it should be taken seriously in all its forms. In fact, studies have shown that where there is animal abuse, there is often human abuse, too. A man who beats his dog is far more likely, statistically, than the average man is to hit his wife and children.

A North Laurel man accused of killing his neighbor's dog by poising it with antifreeze has been indicted by a Howard County grand jury. Jack Carl Schroeder, 58, of Rachel Yates Court is accused of serving a bowl of food soaked with antifreeze to his neighbor's 2-year-old beagle. The dog became sick and died from ingesting the contents last month, police said. The grand jury indicted Schroeder on Wednesday on six counts: aggravated cruelty to animals, animal cruelty, destruction of property, attempted animal cruelty, attempted aggravated cruelty to animals and attempted destruction of property, according to the indictment released by the Howard County state's attorney's office Friday.

Douglas Leroy Gunn, a retired Baltimore County hospital administrator, died of congestive heart failure Wednesday at his home in Towson. He was 75. Born and raised in North Baltimore, Mr. Gunn attended Roland Park Grammar School and graduated from Polytechnic Institute in 1945. After high school, Mr. Gunn enlisted in the Army and served in the Philippines. He later enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park and was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity. He graduated with a business degree in 1951.

Criminal justice researchers have known it for years: Children who hurt and torment animals often grow into adults who assault other people. Many communities, including Howard County, are beginning to acknowledge that link. Some people have taken steps toward dealing with the dangers it presents. "Animals are often the first visible victims of home violence," said Virginia M. Prevas, manager of the First Strike Campaign, administered by the Humane Society of the United States. First Strike is a 5-year-old program aimed at educating the public about the relationship between cruelty to animals and violence against people.

WEST NEW YORK, N.J. - A motley pack of seven dogs slept near two gigantic heaters in the cavernous boiler room of a block-long blue building one recent cold evening. Night was falling on the West New York dog pound, better known as the Department of Public Works garage. The garage, where police cars, trucks and street-cleaning machines come and go at all hours, was never intended as an animal shelter. But months ago the town's health department resorted to housing stray dogs there because the shelter in Jersey City, run by the Hudson County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was full after abruptly adopting a "no kill" policy last year.