In Washington state a puppy was deliberately immersed in muriatic acid. Her skin, eyes and fur were all burned off. She was still alive when a good Samaritan brought her to a veterinary clinic but she had to be euthanized.
The King County Animal Control said that they would do a necropsy on the victim but they cremated her and destroyed crucial evidence.
Pasada Rescue found stained clothing and rags in the suspect's garbage can. Still the police say there is no probable cause for a search warrant. After delaying the investigation they told Pasada that they would have to ask the Animal Control Agency for a search warrant.
A police officer interviewed the suspect and ASSUMED there was no evidence in the house because the suspect did not try to prevent him from entering the premises.
This is the worst case of animal abuse I have ever known. The suffering that poor puppy endured is unimaginable. I can't believe that none of the authorities involved in the case want to bring the perpetrator to justice. Instead they have destroyed evidence and failed to conduct a proper investigation. More on this case.
This is why violent crimes against companion animals go unpunished. Animal control agencies and county shelters were set up to protect people from animals. These are the people we used to call the "dog catchers". Yet these are the people who typically are assigned to handle abuse cases. The police believe that these cases are not important enough for their time. The attitude that "it's just an animal" is all too pervasive among those entrusted to protect animals from cruelty and abuse. Additionally, animal control agencies and the police are reluctant to work with animal protection groups because they view such groups as "adversarial".
The effort put into investigations are too weak. In a Cincinnati, OH case where a woman abandoned 6 kittens in a park, the SPCA gave up on getting information from a witness because the witness didn't want to cooperate. In criminal cases that involve humans, people with pertinent information can't simply choose not to talk to the police. We need to get animal cruelty cases out of the hands of animal control and into the hands of people who care and who have real authority.
Federal or state agencies need to be established so people and animal protection groups can report lax investigations and destruction of evidence. People who pour acid on animals, set them on fire, torture them, etc. should not go unpunished-- but that's how it will continue to be if animal cruelty cases are not taken seriously.
Barbara Woodcox, President