An uncaring, immoral society

DOGS DID not fare well in the first week of the new year.

If that means nothing to you, then it’s time to consider how a society's treatment of animals reflects its values. Here we find ourselves caught in a downward spiral characterised by increasing selfishness, a blatant lack of consideration for others’ rights, and a troubling rise in the abuse of power – all reflected in three concerning media stories.

First, FireOne CEO Andre Abraham told concerned citizens against fireworks they should practise tolerance. His tone-deaf, warped reasoning showed a callous disregard for the vulnerable in our society – the weak, aged, sick and traumatised people of this nation, along with animals.

As usual, the first day of the new year brought stories about the after-effects of the fireworks: missing dogs and dead animals. One year we lost an animal in the zoo. This year the TT Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TTSPCA) lamented the loss of a rescue dog that died of fright.

We begin every year with these stories that show a disdainful sense of entitlement, selfishness and warped logic, and the TTSPCA reported more distress calls than ever.

Next came the story of a Pleasantville man who cut off a dog’s ears, beheaded it in public and casually walked through the streets with its head.
Acts of violence against animals need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Research shows animal abuse is one of the first acts in a hardcore criminal’s developing life. Those who harm animals end up hurting people.

Animal activists here continually complain that police aren’t taking animal abuse seriously enough. That lack of concern endangers all of us. Police need to send a message loud and clear that they will not tolerate harming animals.

The third concerning story happened on January 7, when police in St James shot and killed a family dog during a state of emergency (SoE) raid.
This is not the first time police have killed a family pet during a police exercise. Granted, there are times when criminals use dogs to deter the police from searching premises, but these raids, often initiated through meaningless tip-offs, end up killing a family dog for nothing more than doing its job, which is reacting to strangers in its yard.

What are we supposed to think when a pet gets shot and the police have not found any contraband items on the premises?

Imagine the trauma these families endure, the helplessness and the grief they feel when their only protection gets shot in front of them.
There have been other such newspaper reports in the past, including one about a Santa Cruz family accusing police of harassment and killing their pet during a search. In these reported cases no illegal substances were found.

More than likely this happens more often than we think in raids. I doubt we have any statistics or studies on the impact of shooting people’s pets, but there have been studies abroad with useful information.

In an article entitled More than Just Collateral Damage: Pet Shootings by Police, the US Department of Justice said reports show US police shoot 10,000 pet dogs in the line of duty each year. They estimate that could really be a six-digit number.

The report says, “Deferring to officers’ judgement when they reasonably fear for human safety is sound policy because they regularly must make split-second, life-or-death decisions in highly stressful situations; but many pet shootings occur when officers mistake the behaviour of a friendly, curious dog for aggression.”

This suggests police officers should be trained in how to respond to dogs in their searches.

The report also said, “Some officers shoot pets unnecessarily, recklessly, or in retaliation.”

Research shows “pet shootings can seriously damage public relations for law enforcement agencies, especially during an era when the news seems to be saturated with stories concerning police using excessive force…”

Police here certainly don’t need any more negative publicity and damaged public relations than they already have.

At some point we need to question whether police officers searching in an SoE are doing their jobs or misusing their power to intimidate people.

Altogether, the stories in the news concerning dogs this first week in 2025 paint a bleak picture of an uncaring, insensitive, immoral society lacking compassion, honesty and accountability. Take media reports about the mistreatment of dogs seriously. They tell a story of where society is and where it is heading when animal abuse is not taken seriously.