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OT-kids who harm animals...as I have read some skids here who do

herewegoagain's picture

I just read this article and thought I'd share with you. I have heard a few here talk about their skids harming their pets. I do believe that people who harm animals are capable of harming anyone...it seems that others do too.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/why-the-wild-things-are/201302/do-ma...

Comments

oldone's picture

True - it would take me a LONG time to ever trust a child who harms animals. Maybe never.

MarriedaBallessWonder's picture

My youngest stepson is an animal abuser. I don't trust him. Id like a giant to come beat the fuck out of him so he can see what it feels like to be tortured and feel helpless.

I bought some closed circuit cameras that I need my brother to come install.

Thanks for the article. I'm sending it to my DH, who defends him until the end.

silentnites's picture

The neighbor kid years ago killed rabbits. I won't print what he did to dogs. I get heart sick thinking of it still....anyway, he is in prison today, for murder.

not2sureimsaneanymore's picture

I think it's because human beings are social animals--meaning that we, genetically, are predisposed to empathize and sympathize with other living creatures at a young age--since, as babies and children, we cannot hunt and therefore don't develop emotional separation between food and companion until later, but we need to focus on developing our social ability to survive in the group. That's why farmers still have their favorite dogs, butchers still go home to their cats, and people who hunt game might have a bird or two waiting in their homes for them.

When someone is lacking the ability for empathy and sympathy for another living creature at a young age--that's a problem. It may be genetic, it may be due to how they were raised (but there are people who are sickened by dog fighting even if they grew up with it), and I have a feeling may be linked with hostility, aggression, and violence.

Thank you for posting this article. There have been some posters who've said that young children can hurt animals and it's normal--yes. Accidentally. Amd if the animal dies in their hands, they freak out and start crying. Only those who have issues will either not care or find joy in it.

not2sureimsaneanymore's picture

I also agree with this.

Our "adopted" son (a young man in trouble with the system but who has turned a new leaf living with us--calls me mom/my name, and DH/DH's name interchangeably) grew up in an abusive, drug ladened household, who liked to set fire to things, and who kept a lot of reptiles and enjoyed watching them kill and eat birds/mice, stabbed toads, got into a lot of fights, finally ending up almost in prison on drug charges--he still has attachments and empathy, and rescues and rehabilitates other animals (a rabbit who was given cocaine by an acquaintance, two cats who were starving, his girlfriend's father's Amazon Grey who was kept in a cage close to twenty years etc.) did those thing when he was young. He's not really sure why he did them, and feels guilty for doing so. He even bought a pet mouse to kind of "reconcile" all those poor mice he had killed, and who he loved until it passed away at the ripe old age of 3.

And he's not a cold-blooded killer, just a misguided youth who is back on track. He's going to graduate from trade school and on his way to earning almost 100k a year once he does. He loves me and DH and we're more family to him than his own. He thinks we saved his life and is super protective of us.

He's actually the reason why I thought, you know, no matter how bad SS may be when he's young (I don't know as I have never met the kid), I think I can grow to love him too, because if "adopted son" can rise above all that (and he must have been hell to deal with as a kid), there's hope for almost anyone.

Just yesterday, when the three of us were building a sign for the business, I asked him what will happen when his dad finds out his younger brother was smoking weed and got caught in the snowstorm (they got into a fight over it because his brother came over wanting to smoke weed in our house, and he said no--big step if you knew how big of a drug addict he was), he looked at me and was like "Mom, do I LOOK like I grew up in an intact family? My dad will probably offer to smoke weed with him."

So we are not necessarily an immovable product of our upbringing either,

Anon2009's picture

Thank you for sharing this article. BTK, a serial killer from Kansas, harmed and killed animals as a kid. He went on to kill 10 people as an adult and is serving 175 years in prison.

Maybe if he had received intense help as a kid, those 10 people would still be alive.

hismineandours's picture

Strangely, this is one thing my ss14 has not done (at least to my knowledge). He has all the other sorts of red flags-playing with fire, bedwetting at late age (still bedwetting), aggression towards others, stealing mine and my dd's panties-but no animal abuse. Generally he seems to like animals.

It's strange because one of his favorite things to bring up is the time my ds stuck our cat in the mailbox. DS was about 6 I guess. He wasnt trying to harm the cat-and it didnt-the mailbox is large-you can get out the back or front-the cat was in there maybe 30 seconds-but ss loves to bring up that story to illustrate how "bad" my ds is.

fedup13's picture

My skid is also an animal abuser. He used to be so mean to my dogs. I do not allow him access anymore and is one of the major reasons I had to put my foot down about him no longer being allowed here if DH is not home. He intentionally broke a puppy's leg last year. I 100% believe he has the makings to be a psychopath. He has evil vacant eyes. It was clear that he got a sick satisfaction when he would get the opportunity to hold my dog down and squeeze her until she yelped. I NEVER allowed this. He was very smart about it and always did it when I had my back turned. DH was present when he broke the puppies leg at MIL's house, I was not, and DH even said that skid looked happy when he did it and showed no remorse. He is also obsessed with dead animals, like birds, and will poke their eyes out and squeeze their guts out and stomp them. MIL laughs and thinks it is cute and says, "OH he is just ALL BOY!!" No he is all nutjob.