Puppy Pitcher Should Be Running Scared

PETA Stops for No One

Jesse Schmitt, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Sep 1, 2010 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

As anyone who speaks ill of them is aware, people love their animals. While I have no problem with animals in private, the thought of having to share space in a restaurant or hotel bed with a dog's fleas gets me a little riled up. Still, I'd never take the actions of the alleged Bosnian Puppy Pitcher. As reported by the NY Daily News, authorities are on the hunt for this girl who, as plain as day, can be seen in a video throwing puppies into a fast moving river (WARNING Video: HERE). Apparently this girl is form Bugojno, a town in Bosnia; the video was filmed by her brother. While one would wonder what would drive someone to do this, the endgame is clear. If the authorities and PETA already know who this girl is, that she has a brother, and what town they live in, the end is an already written story.

When thinking of this girl's case, I'm a little alarmed, to say the least. I lost count, but she threw something like six or seven live puppies into the raging rapids of this river. The video, which has since been taken down by YouTube, has sparked much discussion about animal rights and punishment for animal cruelty.

Glynn Johnson:

Many people may never have heard of Glynn Johnson, but his case is similar to the Puppy Pitcher. As many in Riverside County California remember, former Los Angeles County assistant fire chief Johnson was sentenced to 90 weekend stays in jail, three years probation for felony animal cruelty charges and 400 hours of community service with dogs for beating a six-month-old Shepherd mix over the head to death with a 12-pound rock. Johnson also was ordered to take anger management classes.

Johnson was apparently upset with the "noise and neighborhood disturbance" the pooch was causing. Animal rights activists say that Johnson got off "easy," but his attorney said that the punishment was extreme.

So where do we fit in with animals who rove this earth with us? What is the responsibility of the owner to calm their loud pets? It's similar to agitated children in public space; you wouldn't take a 12-pound rock to the head of an infant, right? But still, an infant, it is hoped, would at least grow up and grow out of its loudness, while a dog can wail forever.

It will be interesting to see how Bosnian law will handle this case; the girl also appeared to be a minor, so what are the parents' role in this? How about the brother/filmmaker? Where did she get all these puppies from, anyway? All questions to consider as the Puppy Pitcher feels the hot stench of the law begin to close in around her.

Sources:

(1) http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/09/01/2010-09-01_bosian_police_hunt_girl_throwing_puppies_in_river_in_disturbing_video_peta_offer.html

(2) http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bb4_1283184704

(3) http://losangelescriminallegalblog.com/2010/04/animal-cruelty-case-glynn-johnson-gets-90-days-in-jail.html

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Published by Jesse Schmitt

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