Teenager arrested on animal cruelty allegations
Dora
(CNS): Police arrested an 18-year-old boy from North Side Sunday on suspicion of animal cruelty in connection with an incident where a dog was set on fire at a property in the district. The RCIPS investigation began on 13 May after a pit bull cross-breed named Dora, who was pregnant, was burned on her abdomen. Dora survived, but in addition to suffering second and third degree burns, she lost the puppies. There has been rising public outcry over animal cruelty recently, with more people speaking out about what they see as the failure of the authorities to address the issue and the increase in reported case over the last year.
Taura Ebanks, who established the Facebook page Cayman Animal’s WatchDog, has been stepping up the campaign to draw attention to the issue of animal cruelty and pressure the police, the Department of Agriculture and political representatives to do more to enforce the law and ensure there are consequences for cases like this latest incident.
Ebanks started a petition, which now has more than 1,500 signatures, calling for the animal protection/welfare laws to be enforced and for those that commit acts of torture, abuse, neglect to be held accountable. She has also been asking people to press candidates on the issue and consider their positions when deciding who to vote for on Wednesday.
In a video posted to the site Monday, Ebanks said that she is planning to show the responses of candidates she has spoken to about the issue on the page later today. She pointed out that there is just one animal welfare officer for the entire Cayman Islands, and while people continue to try and call the DoA, no one is answering the phone.
Meanwhile, Dora is said to be recovering from her ordeal at the Humane Society after being treated at Island Veterinary Services. It is not clear what will happen to the animal now the case is progressing and whether she will be returned to her owners in North Side.
Forget the Fact its a Pitbull, its still an poor animal, All dogs any breed dont deserve this foolishness, we got people neglecting dogs daily in the Cayman Islands, They should stop allowing abusive people from having pets but the system always fail the animals they murder a innocent animal and still get another one, i lost hope in humanity. we need laws to protect them, the real monsters are humans here.
There is a simple solution. To own a dog a licence should be needed. Dogs should be neutered for a licence to be granted. The licence woukd be required fir each and every dog owned by one owner.
I think that the whole problem with some people owning a dog , is lack of love and understanding of why they have a dog , and there’s so much that have to be invested in the dog to make it the loving and careing companion that you would want in a pet .
We make out of our dog /pet what we want them to be , just like some parents with their kids .
If we understand that dogs are smart animals and their intelligence level are high and they are trainable , but we have to invest time and effort into them , then we would have a good friend / companion .
This is a true story of a lady who was sleeping in her room and her house was onfire and she didn’t know , but her dog woke her up and that’s how her life was speared to tell the story .
My neighbour has three tied up. They are purely barking machines, well fed but NEVER exercised and/or shown any affection. One is also a breeding machine.
Rumour has it that there has been an amendment to the Animals Law sitting on the proverbial shelf for 6 years, waiting to be brought to the Legislative Assembly. Apparently it would make it much easier to fine owners, among many other improvements.
One has to ask why, in 6 years, no one has brought it to the House to be passed into Law????
Maybe because a recent person convicted of vile cruelty to animals was the brother of a Government Minister?
There are too many sick and twisted people on this island that have no respect for animals! Just yesterday someone found 7 new puppies put in a garbage bag in a dumpster!!! What the F is wrong with people!!! Just drop them off to the humane society- you don’t need to even say they were your puppies… you could just say you found them! Why on Earth do you put them in a bag to die??? Soo so wrong!!! And we HAVE animal cruelty laws, but THEY ARE NOT ENFORCED! It’s great Ms. Ebanks is making the community more aware, we just need to stay diligent on the governing body to make sure the voiceless have support– and if Dora gets returned to that house, well… there’s the first problem with the system- it should not even be a question as to if they will return her!! How can you do that? XXXXX Why should there be any difference in right from wrong when it comes to a pet? Unbelievably disturbing!!
But they’re quicker to lock up a teen for a joint because that hurts every living thing on this island. SMH!
Imagine what they would do to me and you as human beings…..
The mental health facility is long over-due friends! I dare say we have more fit for this institute than HMP!
i have a pitbull , she is the sweetest dog ever, she wouldnt hurt a fly
pitbulls tend to be violent because of constant abuse! i hope justice is serve for this poor dog
That makes you an admitted criminal.
glad to be a criminal in that case, she is happy, playing with my other dogs.
fully fed groomed and well bathe 🙂 pitbulls have the sweetest personality and im glad to have rescue her from a ABUSIVE owner who starve her from when she just born.
If being stupid was a crime you would have admitted that you are a criminal without saying you’re stupid. Dumb comment!
10:45am – Idiot.
Idiot, or law abiding citizen?
Nope. Perfectly accurate and true. And that is what is wrong with Cayman. People get to ignore the laws they do not like. Where do you draw the line?
Pit Bull dogs are not legal to have in the Cayman Is., you are braking the law.
Not true. There’s a difference. They along with a handful of other breeds are “banned” from Importing. Ones already here, nothing can be done without opening up a can of worms.
Thankfully it’s so.
Having just read the Animals Law (2013) Revision I see no reference to pit bull in the entire text. Perhaps you could be so good as to show me the legislations as to where it states that this is a criminal offence.
http://www.gov.ky/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/11528323.PDF
Really… you’re trolling someone who has saved an animal FROM a criminal? Where are your so-called Cayman-kind, Christian values?
Do some research, before you post. It’s illegal to IMPORT pit-bulls, not rescue them. This person saved an animal in distress, who was BRED AND BORN ON THIS ISLAND (most likely by residents who want to make a quick buck selling puppies, or by neglectful owners who let their dogs roam wild and breed on the streets.)
Focus on the real issue of this story. Stop attacking those who actually make this island a better place.
I hope that poor dog isn’t returned to the owner and is put into a loving home.
I am a Caymanian and I have two dogs and a cat. They are like my children. They stay in the house all the time. I make sure they get their annual check up and their heartguard and flee control every month. So not all Caymanians hate animals or are cruel to them.
Yes, assuming the dog isn’t licensed by DoA, and the “owners” lack a breeding license – which are both probable. DoA should be fining and making a public message to all of the illegal puppy mills on the island. If this were a just place, the $10,000 fine for illegal breeding ought to be endorsed over to the cash-strapped Humane Society that eventually takes in the discarded breeding mothers and the unsold puppies.
Ms Taura Ebanks , keep up the fight, fighting for the voiceless fourlegged friends. you’re making much progress . How can someone be so cruel to a animal ?
How,
can some people just allow it to happen and continue to ?
Do we know that human cruelty to Animals leads to other criminal behaviors.
I want to add that criminal behavior also stems from a negative/criminal environment.
Most of the youth you see lashing out is because they are being abused themselves at home; no love or care from their family.
So, in return they induce pain and suffering; first on animals then human beings.
You can watch the pattern and they will one day (if allowed) start hurting people and no longer animals. I can’t stress enough that we need more love in the world, more care toward each other, more appreciation for LIFE.
This is the year 2017 and there is more hatred and anger being spewed across the globe from any direction imaginable; love and love some more.
Dogs are special creatures in my opinion, they have so much loyalty and love in them…to ruin such a wonderful nature is sinful indeed.
We have a culture her that reinforces negative behaviors. We have students in a prayer circle at JGHS before the math exam praying not to go to CiFC, yet not studying for exams? We do not teach nor reward kindness. And yet we are surprised by serial killer behavior in our midst?
Nothing will happen. There is a culture of animal cruelty and neglect. Out current government has had four year, four fricking years, and they have done f-all. You could set fire to a hundred dogs and no one would blink, unless there is a dollar sign attached to their collar.
What does that have to do with politics? Why are you ignoring the fact that It is a potential household problem? If you want to vent your political anger do it in the proper forum.
I think the frustration here is that our elected officials are turning a blind eye to the fact that laws are not being enforced. Yes, the criminal issues start in each household, but there is no reason to consistently ignore the lack of law enforcement, especially when we have civil servants involved who just can’t be bothered to answer the phones to get the ball rolling…………
Pit bulls are not all dangerous. It tends to be the owners.
That may be true, but they are still banned by law. See Animals Law (2013).
They really need to change the laws on animal cruelty. What these people do to animals, they could do to you!
In the state of Florida, it is illegal to torture an iguana!
Think about that for a bit :/
We kill animals like cows, chickens, and pigs for food … but TORTURE is something entirely different.
Here are 2 Ethical Questions:
On the question of our Iguanas here that are becoming a pest and may contribute to the decrease in our parrot/ bird population, by our government giving young people license to cull these lizards, are they encouraging the young to be cruel to animals?
What then is the best way to deal with this issue without inflicting torture and cruel treatment to these iguanas???
I know some people here may be laughing at these questions, but children do learn and will follow by example 😉
One should not torture iguanas either. We catch them and put them in a freezer where they just go to sleep.
Or we pay someone to shoot them.
Unison ,
giving young people license to cull iguanas , we need to give them the education for the reasons why and what they are getting this license for before they get the license . With the education yes kids would understand the reasons why it would be important to cull the iguanas , but have respect for other living human / creatures that are not a pest .
Education and common sense is two of our biggest tools we can have today .
The best way to deal with the eradication of the iguanas , I think that we have to look at the issue from different perspectives . Just think about this , if the iguanas problem was a wild bear.problem , how would we handle that problem ? Sometimes we have to do things the most effective way to deal with the issue and put our differences aside and ask for forgiveness .
Not surprised – another law which just doesn’t get enforced and another government dept where the people don’t feel like answering their phones.
The animal welfare officer is beyond reluctant to actual do anything except for a little slap on the wrist…..
So annoying. No one is accountable.
Animal Cruelty punishment is spelled out §70 of Animals Law (2013) = $4,000 fine and a year in jail. Unlicensed breeding of any domestic dog is a $10,000 fine…breeding a banned breed, set out in the actual law, should carry further penalties.
Thought Pit Bulls were a banned breed?
Imports are banned.
Clearly not in Prospect.
The pit bull breeding capital of the Caribbean.
Ecay Trade will provide you with any other type of illegally bred dog should you want something else.
Yup. And breeding them is a crime too. More unenforced laws. Are our authorities incompetent or incapable, and why?
Yes, our authorities are incompetent or incapable, or both. Why??? I think it just comes naturally.
Inbreeding isn’t banned
@ 4:24 PM: Are you talkin bout dogs, or people?
It says, “cross breed”. How can a cross breed be banned?
Because you still need a pitbull…..to cross breed