Epidemic:
Kids Hurting Animals

As mental-health and law-enforcement experts well know, cruelty to animals and violence against humans are inextricably linked. Many educators are aware that serial killers and school shooters—including alleged killers Salvador Ramos, Payton Gendron, Nikolas Cruz, and Ethan Crumbley—tend to have a history of cruelty to animals, and Sandy Hook Promise has cruelty to animals on its “10 Critical Warning Signs of Violence” list.

Forty-three percent of perpetrators of schoolyard massacres commit acts of cruelty to animals first. Educators can help prevent future tragedies by including kindness to animals in the curriculum. Amid the current epidemic of youth violence, PETA urges everyone to report every act of cruelty against animals and calls on authorities to take each animal abuse claim seriously—for the sake of the animal victims and to help prevent future harm. Lives may depend on it.

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Georgia

State Laws

Georgia Code Title 20–Education § 20-2-145

“The State Board of Education shall develop by the start of the 1997–1998 school year a comprehensive character education program for levels K-12. This comprehensive character education program shall be known as the ‘character curriculum’ and shall focus on the students’ development of the following character traits: courage, patriotism, citizenship, honesty, fairness, respect for others, kindness, cooperation, self-respect, self-control, courtesy, compassion, tolerance, diligence, generosity, punctuality, cleanliness, cheerfulness, school pride, respect for the environment, respect for the creator, patience, creativity, sportsmanship, loyalty, perseverance, and virtue. Such program shall also address, by the start of the 1999–2000 school year, methods of discouraging bullying and violent acts against fellow students. Local boards shall implement such a program in all grade levels at the beginning of the 2000–2001 school year and shall provide opportunities for parental involvement in establishing expected outcomes of the character education program.” (Source)

Reported Animal Abuse Cases

July 2022/Waycross, Georgia

FirstCoastNews.com reported that a 10-week-old puppy apparently died after a witness reportedly observed two children kicking the animal.

May 2022/Bradley County, Georgia

Local 3 News reported that two 16-year-old boys were arrested and face charges, including aggravated cruelty to animals and intentional killing of an animal, for allegedly beating a dog to death with a large stick. Reportedly, one of the teens delivered the violent onslaught while the other recorded the abuse on camera.

June 2018/

Fox 5 Atlanta reported that 17-year-old Phillip Stout was charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals after apparently admitting to shooting and killing his neighbor’s 7-year-old rescue dog named Reese, who was allegedly enclosed on their deck at the time of the attack. Reportedly, Stout claimed that Reese was on his property at the time of the shooting, but surveillance footage apparently shows Stout approaching the neighbor’s deck while seemingly holding a pellet gun.

May 2018/Kennesaw, Georgia

11Alive.com reported the arrests of two North Cobb High School students who allegedly beat a mother opossum and one of her babies to death with a baseball bat, used a mixture of bleach and ammonia to kill three other babies, and posted the attack on Snapchat.

December 2016/Milledgeville, Georgia

The Tifton Gazette reported that a 14-year-old boy was incarcerated and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals after allegedly recording a video of himself torturing a cat. Reportedly, the video showed the teen grabbing the animal by the tail, slamming them into the wall, kicking them multiple times, and stomping on their head. Apparently, the teen narrated the abuse during the video recording and allegedly laughed while watching the footage with authorities.

July 2016/Catoosa County, Georgia

NorthwestGeorgiaNews.com reported that two teenagers had been arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals after they allegedly tortured and killed rabbits and posted videos of the acts on Snapchat. The videos are said to show the teens laughing as they stomp on the rabbits’ heads, cut their throats, and hit them with bats.

July 2015/Rockdale County, Georgia

RockdaleNewtonCitizen.com reported that a 16-year-old boy had thrown his family’s dog down a flight of stairs and then shot two puppies during an argument with his mother. The puppies reportedly received veterinary care for their injuries, but only one survived. The teenager was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, among other offenses.