One of the things I heard in a lecture last year was that when the NYS Humane Law Enforcement agents go to a house and investigate an allegation of animal cruelty, It's a safe bet that there are other forms of abuse going on- Either a battered wife or child abuse.
Watch "Animal Precinct" on the Animal Planet.
Agent Anne-Marie Lucas... Ahhh.
My ex used to tell me stories of "launching" mice and other small animals via bottle rockets.
He told a "funny" story of what he and his brother did to their aqaurium full of fish as an "experiment".
I did not heed the warning signs.
Later in life he got his ya-yas by beating me, attempting to beat the dogs and [I suspect] poisoning a large number of small caged pets I had who all died suddenly with no symptoms of illness whatsoever.