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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Alabama

State Laws

Act 95-313

“The State Board of Education and all local boards shall develop and implement a comprehensive character education program for all grades to consist of not less than ten minutes instruction per day focusing upon 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, patience, creativity, sportsmanship, loyalty, and perseverance. Each plan of instruction shall include the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag” (1995 Accountability Law). (Source)

Reported Animal Abuse Cases

July 2024/Etowah County, Alabama

Al.com reported that authorities had arrested two people—18-year-old Trenton Dewayne Sudberry and an unnamed juvenile—for allegedly shooting a gun at a dog named Bullet, apparently as “target practice,” and that both individuals had been charged with cruelty to animals. The attack was reportedly recorded on video, and the alleged footage appears to depict an individual shooting a long-barrel gun at close range at a dog tied to a tree as the canine seemingly tries to escape. Bullet, who had reportedly been missing, is apparently safe and has been reunited with his family, which says it’s dedicated to supporting his recovery from this traumatic ordeal.

January 2022/Montgomery, Alabama

WSFA.com reported that a teenager had stolen a horse who was nursing a broken hip back to health. Yankey, the horse, was allegedly seen and filmed being ridden many times over the course of three days to the point where he couldn’t stand. The teen along with a 23-year-old allegedly loaded Yankey into a trailer and forced him out into a creek, causing the horse to drown.

September 2017/Fairhope, Alabama

Local15TV.com reported that three juveniles had been accused of ambushing a resident while she was walking her dogs on her property and then gunning down and killing one of the animals with repeated blasts from a shotgun before running off.

April 2015/Wilcox County, Alabama

WSFA.com reported that two teenagers, ages 17 and 18, had been arrested and charged with felony cruelty to animals for allegedly beheading three stray puppies with a machete and posting a video of the acts on social media. The charges were reportedly upgraded from misdemeanors to felonies because of the “horrific” nature of the crimes.