Most everyone is familiar with the popular TV Show ‘Animal Cops’ and ‘Animal Precinct,’ which shows cruelty investigators responding to complaints of animal abuse. What most people are not aware of is that Cherokee County has cruelty investigations officers that respond to approximately 50 calls annually in the Cherokee County area.

Freda Waters, president of the Cherokee Humane Society, director of the Dekalb County SPCA and cruelty investigator for both Dekalb/Cherokee counties has conducted more than 900 investigations involving animal abuse.

Because of the increase of complaints, the Cherokee Humane Society has added another officer, Jimmy Evans, to the CHS staff. Evans retired from the Georgia Department of Corrections after 21 years of service and has certification through the National Animal Control Academy.

The number one goal of the humane society is to prevent cruelty/neglect to animals, through education, spaying/neutering and if necessary, legal intervention. The Cherokee Humane Society in conjunction with the Humane Society Of The United States has designated April ‘Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Month….The theme being’ Animal Cruelty IS Family Violence’ to bring attention to pets who are the silent victims of family violence.

Exactly what is considered animal cruelty varies from state to state, but in general, cruelty occurs any time an animal is made to suffer or feel needless pain, whether the person did it intentionally or through neglect. When people think of animal abuse, they usually think of intentional cruelty. This type of abuse occurs when a person intends to hurt an animal, often times maliciously, and results in severe physical injury or death. Setting a cat on fire or making dogs fight each other are both examples of intentional cruelty. People who intentionally abuse animals often try to hide what they’re doing. It’s no surprise that many dog and cockfights are held in abandoned warehouses, barnes, sheds or basements.

The second type of cruelty is neglect. This happens when an animal suffers because he is not given the necessities of life, such as food, water, shelter or appropriate veterinary care.

People who commit criminal neglect may not realize what they are doing is wrong or may not be capable of resolving the situation themselves. For example, ‘animal hoarders’ are people who keep too many pets in their house or apartment. They are neither able to care for all these animals properly nor keep their environment clean. Animal hoarding is a psychiatric obsessive/compulsive disorder where hoarders think about their animals all the time but cannot bring themselves to solve the problem of their neglect.

Make no mistake, Waters says, animal cruelty is illegal in every state. However, how it is classified depends on where the crime occurred. At present, 42 states and the District of Columbia consider intentional cruelty a felony while the remaining treat it as a misdemeanor. The first step in preventing animal abuse is learning what laws are in your state. The state of Alabama enacted a new felony law in April of 2000, for heinous acts of cruelty to animals, example torturing, maiming or setting on fire.

Cruely toward animals does more than cause other living, feeling beings to experience pain and fear. Violence against animals can be a sign that people are also in danger. Someone who commits acts of intentional animal abuse may have serious psychological problems. Studies have found that many people convicted of violent crims had a history of animal cruelty. Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Andrew Cunannan, David ‘Son of Sam’ Berkowitz and Albert ‘Boston Strangler’ DeSalvo were cruel to animals before they started hurting people. Many murderous children and teenagers-like Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold of Columbine High School-also had histories of animal abuse.

Animals in homes with a histroy of family violence are often also victims of abuse. One study found that animals were abused in 88 percent of the homes in which a child was abused. Another study found that 83 percent of families reported for animal abuse also had children who are at high risk of abuse or neglect. A third study found that one-third of abused children abuse animals. Animal mistreatment, bed wetting and fire starting are all signs of potential abuse of a child. Animal cruelty or neglect can often be a warning sign of other forms of abuse, including elder abuse.

Animal abuse is not something everyone wants to report or get involve in but it is important to report such crimes. If you are aware of animals in your neighborhood that are being abused, report it. The Cherokee Humane Society takes animal abuse seriously. To report animal abuse in Cherokee County, you will need to call 256-845-9463 and a cruelty officer will be dispatched from the Dekalb office