Animal activists in Long Island have directed our attention to this case of vicious violence against an older human and a helpless dog, by a young man who apparently has serious issues controlling his temper. We reproduce below the report from a local paper, and some of the reaction in the regional animal rights community. What causes people like this man, Steven Errante, 26, to commit such heinous acts? Obviously there’s a lot of “walking wounded” in this country, people ready to explode, since American society packs innumerable toxic forces that strain most people’s ability to cope. Still, whatever the explanation—if he has any—Errante (which ironically in Italian means “vagrant” or “in error”), has to be given a sentence truly proportional to his crimes. No slap on the wrist will do.—Eds.
L.I. Man Charged With Attacking Father, Beating Dog With Bat
Steven Errante is charged with beating a dog with a baseball bat on Long Island. (Credit: Suffolk County Police)
DIX HILLS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A Long Island man appeared in court Saturday, on charges that he broke his father’s ribs with a baton and then beat the family dog with a baseball bat.
As WCBS 880’s Sophia Hall reported, prosecutors in Suffolk County said Steven Errante, 26, first used a baton on his father and broke his father’s ribs. At least a day afterward, he attacked the family dog with a baseball bat and beat her so severely that she ended up having to be euthanized, prosecutors said.
[pullquote]The bottom line is that the animal defenders’ struggle is caught in an impossible dichotomy in the treatment of animals. On one hand, many humans wish to shield animals from abuse. On the other, wanton cruelty and mistreatment carry very light penalties in most cases. This schizoid approach to the problem—reflected in weak protection laws— stems from the fact that we live in a society in which “recreational hunting” and factory farms are still legal, in which fur coats are regarded as normal, in which the oceans are fished to depletion, along with a myriad of other forms of exploitation and abuse of non-human creatures in just about every corner we care to look. Until a breakthrough is secured in the institutionalized tyrannization of animals, anti-cruelty laws will remain at best an uneven response to a common problem. [/pullquote]
Suffolk County police were called this past Sunday to 800 Deer Park Ave. in Dix Hills, after someone saw the Labrador mixed breed with serious injuries.
The female dog had suffered fractures to her head and face, trauma to her body, and a broken front leg, police said. Police took the dog to an emergency veterinary clinic, and then took her to an animal hospital for further treatment.
Ultimately, the efforts to heal the dog failed. Doctors said the dog was so severely injured that she had to be euthanized.
Following the incident, the Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island released updates about the dog, named Chantel Girl. A day ago, the dog had gained strength and was able to stand up and move herself in her cage, and also went outside to use the bathroom, the shelter said in a Facebook post.
But Chantel Girl declined significantly Friday evening.
This dog, named Chantel Girl, had to be euthanized after she was beaten on Long Island. (Credit: Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island)
“Regardless of our aggressive intervention, she became dull, and began to experience seizures, likely as a result of her critical condition and trauma sustained. It is with a heavy heart that we report that ‘Chantel Girl’ is no longer with us,” the shelter said on Facebook. “Thank you all for your kindness, prayers, concern, and support. It is a reminder to us all that from an awful act such as this, that we still must have faith in humanity, as you are all a testament to the good that people can do.”
Following an investigation, police arrested Errante in Mastic around 6:50 p.m. Friday. He was charged in the attack on his father and on the dog.
Errante, 26, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals under the New York State Agricultural and Markets law, and second-degree assault.
Errante’s attorney, Mary Beth Abbate, said her client is a U.S. Army veteran who spent some time in a Veterans Affairs hospital.
“It’s always said, whether it’s an animal or a person, it’s always, always sad when somebody gets hurt,” Abbate said. “But at this point, they’re only allegations.”
At a hearing in Suffolk County First District Court in Central Islip Saturday, Errante was ordered by a judge to stay away and have no contact with his father. He was being held on $75,000 bond Saturday.
