10-Year-Old Beats Dog to Death, Prompting PETA to Offer Humane Education

10-YEAR-OLD BEATS DOG TO DEATH, PROMPTING PETA TO OFFER HUMANE EDUCATION

For Immediate Release:
May 15, 2015

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Following reports that a 10-year-old Fort Worth boy allegedly cornered his neighbor’s dog and then beat him to death with a stick, TeachKind—PETA’s humane-education division—rushed a letter to the Fort Worth Independent School District superintendent this morning calling on her to include cruelty to animals in the district’s student code of conduct. In its letter, the group explains that abusing animals can lead to continued antisocial behavior, from further acts of cruelty against animals to bullying, aggression, and violence against humans. TeachKind and PETA—whose mottos read, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—have also sent letters offering free copies of their “Abuse: Report It if You See It” poster to each school in the area in the hope of preventing future abuse.

“This case is a painful reminder that it’s never too soon to begin teaching students that all beings deserve our kindness and empathy,” says PETA Director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns Marta Holmberg. “As schools across the country face an epidemic of bullying, TeachKind is asking Fort Worth schools to let students know that any kind of cruelty or insensitivity is wrong by adding cruelty to animals to their school policies.”

As TeachKind points out in its letters, many school shooters have a history of abusing animals—making early enforcement action even more crucial. According to leading mental-health professionals and law-enforcement agencies, perpetrators of violent acts against animals are often repeat offenders who pose a serious threat to the community at large.

TeachKind’s staff is always available to send materials to schools, suggest lesson plans, and even host classroom presentations with students via Skype—all for free.

TeachKind’s letter to the superintendent of the Fort Worth Independent School District is available upon request. For more information, please visit TeachKind.org