Bosnian Police Probe Girl Throwing Puppies Video

A disturbing video was released on YouTube showing a young woman taking six live newborn puppies, one by one, and tossing them out into a fast moving river that is believed to be in Bosnia. According to the Associated Press, an animal rights group in Bosnia contacted the Bosnian police to investigate the claim. The video was taken off of YouTube, but can still be seen on LiveLink.com, but watch with caution because the graphic content is extremely disturbing.

Although Bosnia police are searching for this young woman, currently animal abusers are not considered criminals, though Bosnia recently adopted an animal protection law of fines ranging from 15 euros ($12) to 5,000 euros ($6,400) for private citizens. PETA is offering a reward of $2,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible.

Animal cruelty is everywhere around us, and the statistics are high. According to the 2009 statistics from Pet-Abuse.com, there were an estimated 54,503 animals that were abused, in which 4,135 of them died. Animal abuse laws vary all over, including the United States.

The 2010 State Animal Cruelty Chart by The Humane Society shows 46 states within the U.S. having laws that make certain types of animal cruelty a felony offense, with sentences ranging from 1 year to 10 years. Animal welfare groups have been making efforts to change the laws to make it a felony crime for animal cruelty in all states. Here are a few cases where an animal cruelty case received an 8-year prison sentence, another one receiving a 40-day prison term and one set for trial in October 2010 here in the United States.

According to the San Antonio News, on June 10, 2010, Austin George Patterson of San Antonio, Texas, was sentenced to 8 years in prison after admitting that he mutilated three cats he bought on Craigslist. The carcasses of three gray tabbies were duct taped in the shape of a triangle to a piece of plywood. Two of the cats had slit throats and one was disemboweled. Austin Patterson was sentenced to 8 years, which may set an example for other animal abusers.

In June of 2009, For the Love of Dog blogged about a man in Talent, Oregon, Robert Allen Fullmer, 54, who received a sentence for only 40 days in prison and two years of probation after admitting to killing three out of the five puppies that were in his care. He was tired of taking care of his incarcerated roommate's puppies, and decided to stuff them in plastic bags and leave them in a plastic container at the Southern Oregon Humane Society. Although Oregon animal cruelty cases can carry a maximum of 5 years in prison, this man admitted he killed three puppies and spent such little time in prison.

In June of 2009, CNN reported that Tyler Hayes Weinman, 18, was arrested for 19 counts of animal cruelty, improper disposal of animals and possible burglary for returning the dead cats to their owners' home in Miami, Florida. He was arrested and placed on house arrest. According the the Miami Herald, a Judge recently granted him permission to attend a Miami Dade College class in person while on house arrest. His trial date is set for Oct. 25, when he could face up to a possible 158 years in prison for all counts.

http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/abuse/state_animal_cruelty_laws_080109.pdf

http://www.americanhumane.org/advocacy/animal-protection/animal-cruelty-summary.html

http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/cruelty_database/statistics/mortality.php?state=&year=2009&search=go