Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert presides at the Animal Cruelty Conference.
This has been a long time coming! Other items have intervened, like work, and we had to get used to the new uploading process here at the Long Beach Post. Anyway, in the first part of our write-up on the 2012 Animal Cruelty Conference, coordinated and presented by City Prosecutor Douglas Haubert’s office and held March 29 in the Skylinks golf course’s banquet hall, we laid out the six identified types of animal abuse: neglect, intended, ritualized, bestiality, hoarding and dogfighting. We also gave the account of Eric Sakach, senior law enforcement specialist for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) Animal Rescue Team, as he defined, described and gave often gruesome examples of neglectful and intentional cruelty, particularly hoarding and dogfighting. In this second and final part, Deborah Knaan, L.A. County deputy district attorney and Animal Cruelty Case coordinator, will discuss the link between cruelty to animals and violence to human beings; and Sgt. Rebecca Johnson of Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) will describe how to report animal cruelty in our city.
Warning: This article contains graphc descriptions of animal abuse. We suggest that you read it anyway.
If you’re thinking—and we doubt that you are if you read the first part of this article—that heck, it’s no big deal, it’s just an animal–well, we probably can’t change your mindset. But consider this: cannibal Jeffrey Daumer, woman murderer Ted Bundy, David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz and nearly everyone infamous or not who has committed a violent act or abuse against a human being of any age has had a history of horrendous cruelty to animals even as a child.L.A.Countydeputy D.A. Deborah Knaan’s experience in cases of sex crimes and gangs stands her in good stead to report a strong link between human and animal abuse.
Knaan had plenty of even more horrifying visuals and stories about intended abuse toward animals, including some of the cases we opened last week’s article with. We’ll spare you the rest—some are even worse or more disgusting than the ones we just mentioned, and such psychopathic behaviors are the stuff of nightmares. We nearly left the room at several points. But Knaan is a brave fighter as well as a lover of animals, and she’s in there for them with eyes wide open. When L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley created the Animal Cruelty Prosecution Program, which ensures that cases of animal cruelty as defined in this article receive consistent and effective prosecution countywide, he appointed Knaan as its case coordinator. Knaan created a curriculum to train law enforcement and 28 special prosecutors how to investigate and prosecute animal-cruelty cases, but she is among a number of individuals who has seen a strong link between violent criminals, and serial criminals in particular, and directly harming animals. She advises that children especially who have treated animals violently, perversely or in a particularly demented manner should be monitored for abuse toward human beings—and this includes during their childhood. Violent and perverted behavior isn’t restricted to adults.
“Here’s the bottom line: Take animal crimes seriously in order to protect the human community,” Knaan told the audience.
Injured dog rescued by HSUS from suspected Florida dogfighting operation. Photo by Kathy Milani, courtesy of HSUS
Knaan and Sakach both said that legislators and elected officials are increasingly taking cruelty toward animals seriously for the welfare of both animals and humans. Knaan cited California Family Code 6320 (b), which in 2009 granted a petitioner for protective custody a provision to include any companion animal in the custody, to prevent the pet from harm or theft. In 2006, California Penal Code section 5977 made it a penalty to confine an animal in a locked vehicle in hazardous weather conditions and no food or water. Sakach also said that a peace officer or animal control officer may use any means to get the pet out, including breaking into the vehicle.
Tethering a dog, allowing limited mobility, is illegal in California. Photo courtesy of HSUS
California Health and Safety Code 122335 prohibits tethering or chaining a dog to a stationary object, as it limits the dog’s ability to exercise and may make the animal aggressive. Sakach added, however, that it’s difficult to prove without a video of the act over an extended period.
A number of laws are listed on ACS’s website that give brief descriptions of the offenses.
There were nearly 700 cats rescued by HSUS from a hoarding situation in Florida. This is one of them. Photo by James and Julie Branaman
Speaking of proof, Knaan said that in order to file a case, it must be proven with evidence, witnesses who may be asked to testify, validation of presence of all cruelty elements including proof of malice or neglect, and a professional opinion, e.g., a veterinarian. The perpetrator’s record is also examined as well as the animal’s condition, length of period of neglect and how obvious any neglect should have been to the owner. It all starts, Knaan noted, with report of the cruelty.
“If there are no reports, there is no crime,” she said. Knaan stated that calls come in from police and animal control officers as well as veterinarians, but most come in from the public. Knaan emphasized that a citizen reporting animal cruelty shouldn’t become further involved other than taking a photo of the animal.
“Don’t take in the animal, and tell the officer if you gave the animal water,” she said. “The officer needs to see the animal in bad shape.”
Knaan also suggested talking to the city council about preventing animal abuse and to see if there is a city program for fostering evidence animals.
Sakach noted that the wonderful thing is that, nationwide, more and more animal control officers are not considering it a free pass for a person if he or she turns an animal in to animal control for no reason. A neglected or abused animal could result in fines. Here in Long Beach, when John Keisler took over as manager, animal control took the new name Long Beach Animal Care Services and set out to live up to the name. Rebecca Johnson, ACS’s Sergeant of Investigations, oversees the field staff. She said that she felt a calling at a young age to be a force in animal welfare.
Does this break your heart, or what? Cats about to be rescued from a hoarding situation. Photo by James Branaman and Julie Busch Branaman, courtesy of HSUS
“Cruelty and neglect are important—animals can’t speak for themselves,” Johnson said, her voice struggling against emotion.
Johnson has been out in the field and has seen many local examples of situations described by Knaan and Sakach, enough to give her a multisensory approach to cruelty cases. Dogs with neck wounds, she said, have a horrible smell, and she can recognize it when it’s gotten out of control and take the animal into custody immediately. Echoing Knaan’s advice, she asks callers to give all the specifics they can, including the reporter’s own name, which will be kept confidential unless it turns into a case; the address of the abuse; and specifics. Hoarding, she said, should be reported immediately to ACS. There are four ACS officers who work during the day and two at night.
“It’s so hard to get through,” muttered a woman in a seat near us. The truth is, said ACS Sgt. Louise DuBois, that the office gets 45,000 calls a year, and the shelter operates on limited resources.
“And we do a very good job [with these resources],” DuBois said. “If you feel that an animal’s life is compromised by neglect, call and we’ll do whatever we can. When we’re closed, the dispatcher sends the calls to the fire or police departments—but we do respond.”
A foremost goal of ACS, Johnson said, is to educate the public about what animals need—not just a doghouse and shelter, she said. The public can do its part by providing these needs and also being aware of crimes toward animals and reporting them. And the best advice?
“Teach your children,” Deborah Knaan said.
Call ACS at (562) 570-PETS to report suspected animal abuse.
The Pet Post is grateful to the following entities that helped organize this workshop: the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office and Long Beach Animal Care Services; committee members Kay Watson and Suzanne Seidel [Judy Crumpton was part of the organization committee]; and volunteers Stacie Cardena and Mary Matthiesen (president of Friends of El Dorado Dog Park) [Judy and Kate also volunteered]. Thanks also to the Skylinks staff for being wonderfully accommodating and to the many attendees who underscored the importance of this event by their presence: Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell; Misha Hauser from Councilmember Gerrie Schipske’s office; Heather Blackmun from Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal’s office; Tim Patton from Assembly Member Bonnie Lowenthal’s office; L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich; Bryan Monell with Last Chance for Animals (LCA), Robert A. Ferber, Senior Trial Attorney, Animal Cruelty Prosecution Team Policy, Herlinda Chico; animal communicator Terri Steuben; animal behaviorist Miriam Yarden; community organizer Justin Rudd; Nona Daly, Dawn Weller and Shirley Vaughan from Friends of Long Beach Animals; and anyone else we may have forgotten.
If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals.
~ Albert Einstein
Pet Projects
Gov Signs License Plate Extension Bill
Social Compassion in Legislation (SCIL) announced that Gov. Brown signed AB 610 on April 26. The bill will allow the remaining 2,970 preorders to be gathered to start the Pet Lover’s License Plate program. “We thank the Governor for his support, and we want to thank our loyal and dedicated author, Assemblyman Jose Solorio,” said Judie Mancuso, SCIL president.
Doggie Will Dine
Several Posts ago, we listed categories for the Best of Stuff for our Long Beach pets. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Archived Comments, and add your own). We were about to post it all when we found out by the grace of a television news item that Los Angeles County had just tweaked its health department language to allow dogs to dine with their owners on patios—previously illegal there and in only a couple of other California towns, including Long Beach. Who knew? We’ve all seen dogs dining on our city’s patios with their owners and—well, we didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. Meanwhile, in a concerted effort, a bunch of us appealed to our city council to do the same thing; Long Beach, although part of L.A. County, has its own health department. The upshot was the 7–0 unanimous vote (absent council members Dee Andrews and Gary DeLong on a recommendation to “request City Manager to work with the Health Department to craft a policy that gives restaurant owners the flexibility to allow pet dogs on outdoor restaurant patios; and return to City Council in 90 days with the proposed new policy.” We can’t wait, and we hope the ultimate outcome is positive. Thanks go to councilmembers Robert Garcia, Suja Lowenthal and Gary DeLong for crafting the resolution! Meanwhile, we’ll post the “Best Of” winners in a few weeks, and we may save the Best Patio Dining for its own article!
Drop Me a Line—Into the Recycling Tubes
In a related issue, because it protects wildlife, pets and children (but not necessarily the fish), Council Member Gerrie Schipske recommended the referral of the possible expansion of the national Reel In and Recycle monofilament recovery and recycling program to the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Marine Advisory Committee in order to place recycling tubes in all areas, saltwater and freshwater, where fishing is permitted was also unanimously passed 7–0, with council members DeLong and Andrews absent. Included in the recommendation is a partnership with the Aquarium of the Pacific in developing an educational program on this issue. Appropriate signage will be installed along with the tubes directing fishers to deposit their lines in the tubes, thus eliminating the entanglement of waterfowl in the lines and as well as the possible ingestion by dogs and other animals when digging through trash looking for food (no, they shouldn’t, but they do, and it hurts). The plastic pellets manufactured by the recycling process are used for fish habitats in lakes across the United States.