angry, angry and very angry

[ellieroo]

If nothing else send a letter to the editor of local paper In fact call the various media sources! Don't rely on police.Don't let them get away with boys will be boys bull either! Were they mine( back in the day) my kids answered to me Along with those who their actions hurt!

 

[PhilErvin]

I'm sorry for this terrible ordeal. I too would go to the police and report this.
I have a metal storage shed at the far end of my property and it has been there for about 25 years. Years ago when there were no houses around the kids would get bored waiting for the school bus and start throwing rocks at the shed as it made a loud bang and a large target. I would hear this and sneek out there and climb up on the fence and scare the day lights out of them. I would yell and threaten them with bodily harm. The ones who were guilty grew up and never threw rocks my way again. I had to repeat this every few years to a different batch of kids but my shed survived and still looks good. Don't tell me I was wrong to threaten them, (my wife already did). I did stupid things like that when I was a kid and got caught a few times (never hurt an animal) and I consider it part of growing up and paying the concequences. I had old mean men yell and threaten me and I never told my parents, they would have tanned my rear end.

 

[pkw]

I hope those boys learned their lesson and I am so sorry about your animals.

 

[huntercf]

Quote:

I agree with NYREDS

I also agree ~ treating violence with violence rarely is the answer.

We must also remember that the OP does not live in the U.S. but in Spain where the laws and enforcement may be very different from what we are accustomed to.

I understand that different countries have different laws, however, in the U.S. in many states it is a FELONY to do what those kids did. We just had a firefighter sentenced to prison for beating a puppy with a rock. Plus, the OP had already contacted the police. Yes, I should have included more information in my post and I apologize. But if it happens repeatedly and the police do not act then one has the right (at least in this country) to protect their property. I suggested pepper spray because it is a non-lethal alternative to what some others might use to protect their property and no childs life is worth that of a pet, and I should have said as a last resort after all other options had been exhausted. As always, one should check their local laws in regards to advice they receive.
I'm glad that the police came out and you were able to find the kids and the situation was handled. My grandfather had a dog/coyote cross that the neighborhood kids would throw rocks at on their way to school. The dog came to hate children and could only be let out when my grandfather was around because it would want to kill any child if he wasn't there. She had been a peaceful dog until the kids came into the picture.

 

[chicnchic]

It sounds like things have worked out...maybe not the BEST way, but worked out...you now have the Police as customers and friends, they know who the kids are and won't have to look far if anything happens again, and the parents have been forced to see what their 'lil angels' are really like.

My first response to the anger against the police was this: I have no idea how large the area you live in is, so follow their advice and try to understand that they may have more pressing things than a dead rabbit that they have to deal with.....like maybe a beaten 3 yr old as one person spoke of, or a pedophile on the loose....we just don't know what our police officers have to deal with, even in smaller communities. They generally don't make you wait unless they have to. Cops are people too, with families and pets (as you found out)

They know the horror that you felt, but you don't know what they were in the middle of when you called.

Calling the Police IS the best thing to do, and I'm glad you did it, and things worked out. Maybe those kids were scared into understanding the value of life....rabbits, chickens and all.

 

[noodleroo]

This makes me physically ill. When my son was little, a car of teenage boys ran up onto the curb to run over his little dog while he was playing with it in my ex-husbands yard. I swear, if I had been there I would have chased them down, pulled them from the car and beaten them to death. (I'm sorry Moderators, but this kind of thing makes me crazy).

First, I'm so sorry that this happened to you. Second, 6 and 7 year old boys shouldn't be running around together without adult supervision. Find where one or some of them live. Call Child Protective Services or what ever its called in you state. The boys are too young for the juvenile system to do anything about them, but thier parents letting them run loose, unsupervised killing other peoples' pets will be taken seriously. The parents will be hauled into court and be in a system that makes them accountable for how they are taking care of their children by completing classes and programs.

I will never understand such cruelty in a human of any age to a little animal. I am so sorry.

 

[BethieofVA]

I did not read every response, but you should call the police immediately. They will come back. They thought it was amusing. They need to be punished as well as their parents.

 

[sgtmom52]

I understand that different countries have different laws, however, in the U.S. in many states it is a FELONY to do what those kids did. We just had a firefighter sentenced to prison for beating a puppy with a rock. Plus, the OP had already contacted the police. Yes, I should have included more information in my post and I apologize. But if it happens repeatedly and the police do not act then one has the right (at least in this country) to protect their property. I suggested pepper spray because it is a non-lethal alternative to what some others might use to protect their property and no childs life is worth that of a pet, and I should have said as a last resort after all other options had been exhausted. As always, one should check their local laws in regards to advice they receive.

I hope I did not offend you ~ I just see a lot of people who tend to recommend violence to solve problems, however in this case it should not have even been considered as the OP stated in his original post that the boys were only 6 or 7 years old. Yes ~ they are old enough to know better and capable of killing, but it would be inappropriate to consider using a weapon (pepper spray is a weapon) to stop them.

The OP took the proper actions by calling the police and allowing them to take steps to hopefully prevent a re-occurrence. I also noticed that some people were unhappy that these boys were not punished more severely ~ but they are only "6 or 7 years old" and there are legal limits as to what punishment can be issued.​

 

[SmittenChicken]

So sorry that happened to you, but happy to hear that you and the police caught the little turds in the act! And glad that the police took it seriously, though it's unfortunate that they could only give a warning.
Hope those kids (and parents!) have learned their lesson and will grow up to be reasonable human beings. But at least they'll probably think twice before bothering your flock again - especially with your new customers.

 

[huntercf]

Quote:
I hope I did not offend you ~ I just see a lot of people who tend to recommend violence to solve problems, however in this case it should not have even been considered as the OP stated in his original post that the boys were only 6 or 7 years old. Yes ~ they are old enough to know better and capable of killing, but it would be inappropriate to consider using a weapon (pepper spray is a weapon) to stop them.

The OP took the proper actions by calling the police and allowing them to take steps to hopefully prevent a re-occurrence. I also noticed that some people were unhappy that these boys were not punished more severely ~ but they are only "6 or 7 years old" and there are legal limits as to what punishment can be issued.

No offense taken, it is a horrible situation and emotions are understandibly high on an issue like this.