Domestic violence perpetrators don't exclusively hurt humans — they often target helpless pets and other animals, too. That was the case with a six-week-old puppy who nearly died recently from horrible violence in Florida. The puppy and its owner were unfortunately caught in a living situation where they were cohabiting with an extremely abusive man. During one rage-filled outburst, the dog's human mother became so afraid of what the man might do to her puppy, she intelligently decided to record him. The photos, videos, and audio recordings she captured from that incident are horrifying, heartbreaking, and deeply disturbing. Even worse, it turns out this man may have actually killed an animal before.
*Warning: graphic details to follow below.*
The woman's video clearly shows the man picking up the tiny dog and forcefully smashing it against the floor, repeatedly, until it began bleeding from its mouth and vomiting. Its owner rushed forwards to try and intervene, but the man threw her aside. Then he continued hurling the tiny animal around the apartment. By the time he was done, nearly 10 minutes later, the home had visible smears of blood on a wall. She begged to have her dog back, but the man refused. Finally, the woman realized the only thing she could do was leave and go to the authorities.
Since then, the man has been arrested for these crimes. During interviews with investigators, the man mentioned having adopted another puppy much earlier, which seems to have mysteriously disappeared. This makes sense, since the woman had shared with officials that she "did not want another puppy to be killed." Authorities have since recovered the woman's battered dog from his home. While it has survived so far, it is very badly wounded. This situation should never have been allowed to happen. How was this man not already prohibited from being around animals? Florida's lawmakers need to do the right thing and ban animal cruelty perpetrators from living with or owning pets! Sign the petition now!
