Posted on 03/13/2011 1:32:45 PM PDT by B Knotts
NEW YORK -- A Brooklyn teenager is facing two-years in prison for killing her brother's pet hamster.
Monique Smith, 19, is charged with one felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals for allegedly killing the 4-ounce hamster during a family dispute last June.
Witnesses say the girl grabbed the hamster, choked it and threw it outside the house.
Authorities say the teenager suspected her brother of killing her own hamster earlier in the day.
"Sadly, very often, pets find themselves in the middle of these situations," said ASPCA Assist. Dir., Joe Pentangelo.
"A family will have a disagreement and unfortunately the animal is the recipient of misdirected or redirected rage."
The hamster died from blunt force trauma, liver damage and a brain hemorrhage, he said.
You are right, animals are property. Putting Michael Vick in prison for fighting dogs and treating them cruelly was WAY WAY over the top. I have a dog and two cats who I care for dearly, so I am not immune to the spell animals can hold over a human. A few years ago, a neighbors dog began biting children. One day he bit the wrong one, SSS truly works. If I were found out at the time, I could have went to jail. I probably would have been looking at fines and compensation for the owners. In my mind, I did what was my right, and duty. That dog was loved, but he was a dog. That hamster was loved too, but they live wild in the fields of Italy, and you can buy them for $5 in a pet store and feed them to your snake. Come on people, get real.
They dropped charges. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2688225/posts
Kill a hamster... go to jail.
Suck the brains out a human baby... get paid with federal tax dollars
Lizzy ping
Bamster the hamster! That would be reincarination I could believe in!
Bring on Moochelle the Moose......lol
I’d never thought of Lizzy in those terms.
She’s a daily multi-species multi-modal serial killer.
Good Kizzy.
If so, my cats are going to be on the FBI's top 10 most wanted list.
It's become an ongoing joke in my family. My husband would never believe I wasn't try to run them down on purpose, until he saw it for himself a couple times. It's like they just jump out of nowhere at the precise moment to commit suicide.
I predict that Director Joe is really going to have a bad day if he ever visits a meat packing facility...
Regards,
GtG
WTH? It’s a freaking rat for goodness sakes.
WTH? It’s a freaking rat for goodness sakes.
WTH? It’s a freaking rat for goodness sakes.
Displaced aggression is an indicator of an issue that should be addressed. It will complicate one’s life if not understood and dispatched.
http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/PSY307-Displaced_Aggression
I want off this stupid rock and am willing to take the first boat. Even if I have to work shoveling the scuppers to pay my fare.
Do Americans have no rights anymore? Our Constitution does not grant protections and rights to hamsters but it does for human beings.
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