Rescuers say animal abuse cases on rise

It was just a paper box sitting in the middle of the road when it was found Sunday night in Merced. But when the teacher from Atwater stopped her car and picked up the box, she saw a paw sticking out.

The box held a Chihuahua puppy. Its head was severely injured. The teacher immediately called Renate Schmitz, owner of the nonprofit Last Hope Cat Kingdom in Atwater.

"It was 10:30 that night," Schmitz recalled. "She also called the police."

When Schmitz got to the scene, police were there investigating. Schmitz told them who she was and took the puppy to a veterinarian in Stockton who works closely with the cat rescue organization.

"I think someone put that puppy in the road so it would be run over by a car and killed," Schmitz said.

Despite the quick response by the teacher, the police and Schmitz, the puppy died Tuesday morning in Stockton. Schmitz said it had too much brain trauma to live.

That puppy isn't the only animal that Schmitz has seen mistreated in the past couple of months.

"A little dog, another Chihuahua, came in from Le Grand," Schmitz said. "The neighbor had been hitting the dog with a stick. The people who brought the dog in begged us to take him."

That dog went to Dr. William Bell at Santa Fe Pet Hospital in Merced.

"Dr. Bell told me the eye had to be removed," Schmitz said. "Now the little dog has nerve damage from the beating. Sometimes he can't walk."

Nancy Hladek, a volunteer with Schmitz's organization, said another abused dog came into the rescue about six weeks ago.

"Someone had either kicked the dog in the mouth or hit him with something, according to the vet," Hladek said. "His teeth were hanging out."

The adult terrier mix was found in Merced, and he underwent surgery to fix his mouth.

Hladek has been a volunteer for about six years, and she has never seen the level of cruelty that seems to be rampant in the area.

"We talk about it a lot," she said. "We think it's parental upbringing. Even if a child does it, adults are just as culpable as the children are."

About three weeks ago, the rescue took in another abuse victim. This time it was a cat. Schmitz said a woman saw children "playing" with the cat -- but the cat was screaming. The woman called Schmitz, and she came to pick up the cat.

"I think they poked the cat in the eye," Schmitz said. "She lost her eye. She's a nice cat, a beautiful cat."

People who torture animals may move on to hurting people, according to Dr. Mary Lou Randour, a psychologist with the Humane Society of the United States. She said there's a strong corrolation between animal abuse and child abuse or domestic violence.

"Animal abuse is an indicator of a family in trouble," Randour said. "Children who are cruel to animals are more likely to continue displaying antisocial, violent behavior as they become adults."

Schmitz said she has seen more animal cruelty this year than ever before.

"Something is wrong," Schmitz said. "Parents need to watch their children more closely. They need to know what the kids are doing."

Gandhi once said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

The recent rash of incidents doesn't bode well for Merced's greatness or moral progress.

Reporter Carol Reiter can be reached at (209) 385-2486 or creiter@mercedsun-star.com.