by Sharon Snedden / PAWS Volunteer

Unaware that she is being videotaped by PAWS Communications Director Richard Huffman, the small black puppy crawls over to Marnie Tyson, who is kneeling in the grass. Like most puppies, she sniffs Tyson's hand, then cuddles in closer and licks her face with a little pink tongue. "She's a lover," comments Tyson, a staff member of PAWS Companion Animal Services. She was named Spirit by PAWS staff who witnessed how the little dog seemed to accept her physical condition and act like a normal puppy. But Spirit isn't like most puppies. Viewers who watched the videotape on KING 5 News on September 22 quickly noticed that she was pulling herself along with her front legs as she dragged her lifeless hind legs behind her. Reporter Jeff Gradney held Spirit as he told viewers that her injuries were probably caused by intentional cruelty.

It was late afternoon on September 8 when a woman brought Spirit to PAWS in a cardboard box. She claimed her son had found the puppy near their home in south Everett as she began filling out the form required by PAWS when an animal is brought to the shelter. At that same time, the staff member on duty began briefly checking Spirit's physical condition so that she could record it on the form. As the woman turned to walk out the door she commented, "Oh, by the way, she can't walk." The staff member reported it to Marnie Tyson, the lead staffer on duty, who called Animal Control.

According to Companion Animal Advocate Kay Joubert, it's sometimes hard to tell at first glance if a puppy is injured, unless there are obvious visual signs. "Puppies are so floppy and squirmy," she comments. "People are usually holding them or carrying them in a box." She continues, "If it appears that the animal is injured, the staff person will initiate a further discussion with them to try to get more information about what they think might have happened to the animal. Our next step is to have the veterinary team examine the animal. We also have to notify Animal Control because, if it is a potential case of abuse, they need to be alerted so that they can begin an investigation to find the perpetrator and start the legal process." Because Spirits injuries are consistent with severe physical abuse, her case is being investigated by the Animal Control Officer for the South Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

Dr. Katie Steneroden, DVM, is the Companion Animal Veterinarian at PAWS. "When I first saw Spirit she was unable to move her rear limbs at all," says Steneroden. "I estimate that she was about six weeks old and probably a Chow mix. She could drag herself along by her front legs, but her back legs were just dragging behind her. I did a physical exam and could tell that she had "deep pain," meaning that she had a nerve that was working to her feet, so that was a good sign." If the animal can't move a leg at all, the veterinarian may pinch one of their toes to see if they pull the leg away, while watching the animal's eyes at the same time. "If they glance back at you with a look that says, 'Ouch-I felt that!' then I know some nerves are still working," says Steneroden.

The injured puppy was transported to Inglemoor Veterinary Clinic in Bothell to be X-rayed. "Inglemoor has some really good people there who help us a lot with animals we might not have all the equipment to deal with," explains Steneroden. Though there is currently no X-ray unit at the PAWS Clinic, some funds have been raised to purchase one.

"The X-rays revealed that one of her vertebrae looked a little bit different than the rest. Puppies have distinct growth plates on the end of their vertebrae. We knew something wasn't right," she concluded. Inglemoor Veterinary Clinic also has access to a veterinary neurologist. Dr. Mike Harrington, who looked over Spirit's X-rays and suggested a course of treatment.

"The normal thing to do for spinal injuries is usually put them on steroids, so we had put her on that," comments Steneroden. "Dr. Harrington felt that steroids weren't the answer and what Spirit needed more was physical therapy. We stopped the steroids, but put her on antibiotics since steroids tend to lower your immune system and make you more susceptible to outside disease. We tried water therapy- putting her in a tub of shallow water so she could try swimming a little. She didn't like the water much. We tried assisted walking. You support the animal by putting a towel under their abdomen and holding the ends while helping them walk. I massaged her hind legs a little," she recalls. Spirit got a little stronger each day. Soon she could stand briefly on all four legs and try to walk, but still fell down after a few minutes.

Spirit remained at PAWS for about a week, then went to a foster home where she has continued to improve. Two dogs living in the home are role models for her. "Nerves can regenerate-it just takes a long time," says Steneroden. "I haven't seen a lot of cases like this from beginning to end so that I can predict if she will make a full recovery, but she sure looks like that's where she is headed. You always wonder if she might have residual effects from this. Anytime you have injuries to your bones or joints there is the potential to have instability or something that isn't quite normal that might lead to future problems. But young healthy animals can compensate for a lot, grow out of a lot."

A key issue in an animal abuse story is trying to determine who inflicted the injury. The son of the woman who brought Spirit to PAWS seemed to think that the puppy might have been intention- ally abused by some juvenile thugs in his neighborhood. It is important to deter- mine the abuser if, in fact, it was a juvenile or juveniles. There is much evidence to suggest that Albert Schweitzer was right when he said, "Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives."

As early as 1918 the Latham Foundation was formed to promote humane treatment of animals as one pathway to a more peaceful world. Studies have proven that children who abuse animals may become adults who abuse, or even kill, humans. Serial killer Ted Bundy tortured animals throughout his childhood. Jeffrey Dahmer, another serial killer, spent time impaling frogs and staking cats to trees in his backyard as a youth. Reports of cruelty to animals occur in the histories of the juveniles who gunned down students and teachers at Columbine High School in Colorado last spring. In most states a person who abuses an animal may be charged with a misdemeanor which amounts to a slap on the wrist such as a child might get for stealing a candy bar.

In June of 1994, the "Pasado Law", a new Prevention of Cruelty to Animals law, was enacted in Washington State which makes serious, intentional animal cruelty a class-C felony. The law was enacted after Pasado, a gentle little donkey in a children's park in Bellevue, was brutally tortured and left to die one night in the spring of 1992. The culprits were three young men, one of them the son of a Bellevue Police officer.

The Humane Society of the United States was one of the first major groups to start looking at "the link" or "the cycle" of abuse over ten years ago. In 1997 the HSUS launched their "First Strike" campaign, an effort to form partnerships with professionals dealing with violence in our society. Through workshops, public meetings and a packet of printed materials, police officers, prosecutors, judges, social workers, and educators are learning how to watch for signs of the animal cruelty/human violence connection. Some law agencies are partnering with child and human service organizations to share information on these cases. The FBI recognizes cruelty to animals as a significant factor in juvenile behavior when analyzing the potential threat of suspected or known criminals.

According to Alan Brantley, FBI Supervisory Special Agent, "This [animal cruelty] is not a harmless venting of emotion in a healthy individual; this is a warning sign that this individual needs some sort of intervention." Brantly feels it's especially important to intervene early if the abuser is a juvenile.

"If an animal is being abused it's almost a given there might be something going on with the young children and on up through the whole family," comments Joubert. Violence in a family has a profound impact on family members and pets are often victims in this cycle of abuse. A pet may be intentionally harmed by a family member to coerce others to obey. An abused child may take out their frustration on a pet they perceive as more vulnerable than themselves or even kill the pet to protect it from harm at the hands of another person in the family. Many parents don't stop to think that their harsh punishment of a child can often have a lasting psychological impact on that child. Teaching a child kindness and compassion for animals as well as people is of paramount importance.

But the spotlight was on Spirit on this day. "After the video was shown on Channel 5, we got hundreds of phone calls, some from Oregon, to Vancouver, B.C., even Pennsylvania and New Jersey," recalls PAWS Development Director Robbin Peterson. "Callers wanted to donate money to help Spirit and some wanted to adopt her. I had a gift basket sitting on my desk that someone had sent full of doggie treats and toys for Spirit."

Spirit, an abused Chow pup that PAWS cared for this fall, received water therapy from the capable hands of PAWS Veterinarian Dr. Katie Steneroden. Spirit's remarkable recovery was featured on Seattle's KING-5 newscast in late September.

Communications Director Huffman received dozens of e-mail messages, many from people very upset that someone had injured a defenseless puppy. After one e- mailer vented his anger, he poignantly expressed the feelings of many who were touched by Spirits courage: "please pet Spirit for me!"