In Florida, authorities have charged a teenager with brutally torturing and killing a dog.
Apparently, a friend of his had given him a pit bull in
early December 2024 as a gift. But several days later, one of the people the teenager lived with told him to "get rid of" the dog. And the manner he chose to do that was deeply disturbing.
Sign the petition to demand immediate psychological counseling for this child, to address the root cause of this violence and suffering.Warning: Graphic details to follow.Rather than give the dog away, this child chose to stab it to death instead. Even more chilling: he took a video of the whole ordeal, and posted it online for other people to see.
In the footage, it depicts the dog lying on the ground, bleeding and injured, and also shows someone's hand holding a knife covered in blood. The 16-year-old kid can be heard speaking in the video.
When questioned by authorities, he eventually admitted that he had used the knife to stab the innocent animal two times. He said he hoped to separate its head from its body so that he could keep its skull afterwards, prizing it as a "trophy."
He has since been charged with felony animal cruelty charges. But the most important thing is to
address what's at the root of this chilling behavior. Children only become violent and cruel if they have been traumatized themselves, and he needs to get help immediately for whatever it is that he's endured.
That's the only way we can be sure to keep others protected in the future, too. This is especially important since violence to animals often precedes escalating violence against other humans.
Demand an immediate psychological evaluation and mandatory mental health counseling for this child! Sign the petition.