This poor puppy was hurt severely by the abuser, Marc. He became jealous of the dog and unfortunately, used Henry has a pawn in the torment. After damaging the dog's eye with a leafblower (a vet had to remove it) and later placing the dog in a 200 degree oven for five minutes, Rhonda Kamper divorced her husband and filed a restraining order. Since then, she has been fighting with legislation to pass stronger animal cruelty laws in Utah. Inside the many articles written about this case are facts about the correlation of animal cruelty and domestic violence and murder. The number of animal abuse is astounding.
For this reason, I will include animals in the portrait series. It's an angle rarely discussed by the public. Adding pets to the Bravery project may help people consider animal abuse as precursor to human abuse. Perhaps when one reads an article about someone hurting or neglecting an animal, one may connect the dots because they are definitely there. According to Utah State University Professor, Frank Ascione, 71% of women in a Utah shelter have had a pet threatened or hurt by the abuser. That is in ONLY Utah. Imagine that number across the country.
With some networking and a little timing, this kind ex police officer I spoke with on the phone is forwarding information on the Bravery project to Rhonda. Hopefully, I will have the honor to do Henry's portrait and people who see it will realize another very serious symptom of domestic violence and take action.
I've included some links to more information on Henry and Rhonda's story. They include other similar cases. It truly is an outrage.
Support for Animal Cruelty Law Still Strong
Special Henry Session Sought
Animal Abuse Case Details: Dog beaten with leafblower, placed in oven
If any of you who read this post have an animal you would like to include, by all means, please let me know and I would be happy to add your pet to the project.
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2 comments:
My daughter, who was a victim, adopted a cocker spaniel, Tennessee, during one of the times she was separated from her abuser. Tennessee had been a victim in a home where two little boys set off firecrackers in his ears, bound one leg, so that he could only walk on three legs, held him under in a swimming pool. It took Tennessee many weeks to bond with Lisa, he would hide under the bed, avoid eating/drinking if she was in the house. He was so conditioned to distrust humans. Finally, they bonded and became inseparable. He was her best friend. Then Lisa died at the hands of her abuser and her abuser would not allow the family to have Tennessee. Prior to his arrest, we managed to "steal" Tennessee one night when he walked out of Sam's apartment and into the arms of Lisa's sister who was waiting in the parking lot for an opportunity to rescue Tennessee once again.
I just read your post about Henry and I. Please visit our website www.helpushelpthem.org for more information on what we are doing to pass Henry's law.
Rhonda Kamper
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