Quote: Linda West

why

Don't care. Live by the sword, die by the sword. We all have bad stuff happen in our lives. We can't let it serve as an excuse to turn around and torture critters.

See I was afraid someone was going to take it like that. It's just an excellent book on why people are the way they are. That's all. I am not looking for an excuse for them. Just if someone is interested.

Lenka, I'd bet the point of the book is that humans are the product of their accumulated experiences.

Often, individuals who abuse animals were themselves horribly mistreated during critical stages of development.

Doesn't excuse the behavior, it just helps explain it.

 Quote: Linda West

See I was afraid someone was going to take it like that. It's just an excellent book on why people are the way they are. That's all. I am not looking for an excuse for them. Just if someone is interested.

I would not think that you yourself are excusing them, and I should have been more clear. I was just saying something about not buying excuses.

Funny, I used the bad things in my past to try to be more empathetic to others, not as an excuse to hurt them.
I know that childhood abuse is linked to futher abuse by the abused (did I say 'abuse' often enough?), but I also think that as humans, the supposedly smartest animal, should be able to use that as a learning experience to try to prevent further atrocities and to attempt not to follow that path.
IDK, I remember how much certain things said and done to me hurt and I do not wish to hurt anyone else that way.

Maybe I am weird.
But, on the same token, I believe the monster who did this to a defenseless dog (and someday probably to a defenseless human) should just be PTS. There is no reason for taxpayers to support him for 9 years just to turn him loose to repeat what he's already done. JMO

THe scary part is, people who will hurt an animal in this way are likely to hurt anyone weaker than them...like children IMO.

I can't fathom doing something like this. I consider my tax dollars spent on keeping this guy locked up a very good investment.

It's great that the dog isn't terrified of people after this...poor thing.

That is why I mentioned that book. Many of my students have been arrested, in juvenile facility, some more than once. I have to deal with these kids every day. It is very real to me. Some of them come from circumstances that are very severe and I need to know how to deal with it. This book not only describes what, when, and how, but also what I can do about it. Because of this book I was able to put some pieces back together for some of the kids. Not for all, and there is always a personal decision involved, but for some. If I can do this I can hopefully prevent some of this stuff happening. Books like this help me to deal with these kids in an effective manner and help them.

Lenka, Big fat kudos to you for working with these kids who have such a horrible time of it. Sometimes all it takes is that one person who really cares to turn things around.

I understand that people who are hurt often turn around to hurt others. I also understand that abuse and neglect during the developmental years can cause serious lifelong trauma and behavioral and conduct disorders.

Mental illness also has hereditary components and tends to run in families further compounding the issue.

I have been dealing with some issues along this vein in my own life. I won't go into detail, but separating mental illness and addiction from a fundamentally flawed personality is incredibly difficult.

Depsite all of it though, I feel like it is our job as adults to see the past and learn from it so that we do not repeat the same actions or mistakes, and inflict the same pain on those around us.
When you get down to it though I think that anyone who inflicts pain and torture on children or animals need to either be locked away for life or pts themselves.

While I think it's a good thing to learn why people do the things they do, we must remember that each human being has been given free will and should and must be held accountable for the decisions they make as individuals regardless of what has or has not happened to them in the past.

Yes, we do have a free will, there is right and wrong, and there are consequences. Yes, people should go to jail for certain things they have done. Please google reactive attachment disorder. In my professional life I am trying to help these people. I am very familiar with the issues. I am not trying to advocate no punishment or no accountability. I am just trying to make people aware of what leads to things like this. Unless you read the book I suggested or get yourself familiar with the disorder then there is no point discussing it because you don't know what I am talking about.