When the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to an animal abuse case more than three years ago deputies found a dog struggling to breathe with puncture wounds on its chest and front paws. After receiving care, the dog, later aptly named “Chance,” inspired the creation of LCSO’s Animal Cruelty Task Force.
“We gave him a second chance,” Nestor Montoya, a public information officer at LCSO, said.
Chance was deputized by Sheriff Carmine Marceno in 2019 after his rescue. Once the Animal Cruelty Task Force was created in April 2020, Deputy Chance began to work as one of the agency’s ambassadors.
“Since then, our agency has done dozens, if not hundreds of cases relating to animal cruelty,” Montoya said. “[LCSO] is very passionate about animals.”
Now, Deputy Chance visits schools, children’s hospitals and community events to bring awareness about what the agency does in the community.
Why this matters
This April marks Animal Cruelty Prevention Month and the third anniversary of LCSO’s Animal Cruelty Task Force.
“Congress has repeatedly made clear that ensuring the humane treatment of animals – whether by a zoo, commercial breeder, horse show, laboratory, or even a slaughterhouse – is a national policy,” The Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice wrote in 2015. “ It is a policy that carries with it enforcement responsibilities.”
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals began to observe Animal Cruelty Prevention Month in 2006. Since then, it has become a nationwide celebration of the protection of animals.
Within the last month, crimes against animals in Southwest Florida have included neglected, flea-infested cocker spaniels in Naples, causing one to die; and an English Bulldog mix puppy to die after being left in a cage in the hot sun in Lehigh Acres.
Taking action
While local law enforcement has pursued criminal charges in such cases, LCSO’s Animal Cruelty Task Force focuses on seeking justice for those who can’t speak up for themselves.
The task force employs experienced detectives to work all felony and misdemeanor animal abuse in Lee County. It also hosts events to increase awareness and to support charitable causes.
“This task force has made a difference because it's raised awareness, not just on the types of abuses that exist, but also signs of how to spot types of abuses,” Montoya said. “That kind of crime will absolutely not be tolerated here in Lee County. We are very tough on animal crimes here.”
Montoya said that LCSO staff will sometimes see starving animals with their bones showing. Other times they’ll find neglected animals who sit in a cage that’s too small for their bodies. Deputies also have found neglected animals covered in their own excrement.
“These are animals that do not have loving owners that take care of them,” Montoya said.
When LCSO comes across an animal abuse case, deputies call Lee County Domestic Animal Services to pick up the animal. Depending on the severity of the abuse, some animals are taken to Blue Pearl Animal Hospital.
Montoya said the task force tells people that when they see something, say something. Make the call to get help for the animal.
What it looks like
Animal abuse includes incidents such as dog fighting, neglect, excessive breeding and overcrowding, and animal hoarding.
Brian Wierima, the Community Relations Coordinator at the Gulf Coast Humane Society, said the shelters see two types of abuse on animals: Physical abuse and emotional abuse.
He said signs of physical abuse are typically shown in scars. When animals are physically abused, they’re typically struck on top of the body, such as at the head.
Emotional abuse can also lead to signs of physical abuse. When animals lay in a kennel, with little attention or care, there can be open sores on the body parts they’ve been laying on. These are called their pressure points.
This can be on their hips, toes, or on their knees. Wierima said the sores are usually on both sides of the animal’s body.
Animals who have been neglected are scarred emotionally, Wierima said. This is especially the case when using animals for the sole purpose of breeding. He said the dogs who are breeding have no positive attention given to them.
All animals, especially dogs, can show signs of emotional abuse by hiding in a corner shaking. They might also become aggressive, baring their teeth.
“They got their hackles up simply because of a fight or flight type of reaction,” Wierima said.
In extreme cases, it can be difficult to interact with an animal who has been the victim of emotional abuse. If someone approaches them, it might put its head in between its legs and shut down.
On the other hand, some animals who have been abused will get overly excited at the sight of any possible attention. They can’t contain their joy, Wierima said, so they’ll jump on people, scratch them, and mouth them.
Mouthing is different from biting. The animal lacks manners because it hasn’t had much experience socializing in a positive way with humans.
How you can make a difference
Anyone who wants to alleviate the impact that prior cruelty has on animals should make the decision to adopt or foster an animal, instead of buying a forever friend from a private breeder.
Wierima said that people can choose to adopt an animal that has been the victim of abuse.
While it’s difficult, anyone who takes on the challenge will be rewarded.
“I've seen that hundreds and hundreds of times where these animals come in. They're timid, they're afraid of attention,” Wierima said.
When the animals begin to get attention, their growth is gradual.
They might give a little tail wag or look a person in the eye.
Wierima said that when animals are abused, they tend to look away. They won’t look anyone in the eye at first.
“It just takes a lot of patience,” Wierima said. “Fortunately here at the shelter, it's just not one family that has to, you know, show all this positive attention. It can be built up. A dozen volunteers, you know, we’ll go in their kennel and just sit with them, build their confidence, their trust.”
There’s no timeline for animals to recover from their scars, both physically and emotionally, but it will happen.
“One thing I love about shelter animals is that in a lot of cases, if they're abused, they shouldn't trust people, but they will eventually because they want to,” Wierima said.
It may be two or three weeks before the animal will even let someone touch them. Eventually, they’ll open up. Once they roll on their back and expose their stomach, they show 100% of their trust.
Animals recovering from abuse should always be shown positive reinforcement when they make a mistake, like urinating on the carpet. They should never be shown negative reinforcement.
“We just want the community to be committed and to be aware of the abuse,” Montoya said, on behalf of LCSO.
This story was produced by Democracy Watch, a news service provided by Florida Gulf Coast University journalism students. The reporter can be reached at knfogarty4088@eagle.fgcu.edu
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