Are you a morning person or a night person? Sweet or salty? Cardio or weights? Cats or dogs? Whether you consider yourself an "animal person" or not, the real story behind former Mets minor leaguer Joseph Petchka's killing of his girlfriend's tabby is that you can't profess to be a compassionate boyfriend (or father) and slaughter domestic animals. The same goes for any animal abuse incident, such as one currently in Bronx courts regarding ringleader Alexander Estephane's dog fighting business. The two characteristics are psychologically incongruous.
Sure, you might be that guy who does not want hair on his couch, so you choose to have a hairless Mr. Bigglesworth or a lone Japanese fighting fish instead -- that's different. Torturing animals is a clear characteristic of a psychopath. And psychopaths, by definition, hurt and take advantage of people as well. Petka was sending an unambiguous message to his girlfriend in killing her cat; he was saying, "You'd better pay attention to me or you will be sorry," or, "I will hurt people around you who take your attention away from me." It's clear in psychological literature on domestic violence how the abuser will hurt pets to instill fear in their designated victim, the pet owner. Sometimes if there are no pets, the children are next -- both veterinarians and pediatricians are trained to look for such incidents and report this type of abuse. Why? Because it hints at a more serious pathology.
In the Bronx case that goes to court next week, Estephane, who used his basement for gambling -- where dog crates, syringes with stimulants, and 9 foot by 9 foot fenced-in pen were found -- raised his right hand in oath and proceeded to mock the jury by saying that he thought his 50 friends were just having a party (without him, no less) and was unaware that there was dog fighting going on directly underneath his living room. The police found wads of cash and 16 dogs. One of the bloodied, mangled dogs later died.
Estephane tried to portray himself as a family man with a wife and daughter. Can you be a good citizen and neighbor, teach compassion to your child and enjoy watching two animals fight to the death? Can you love your girlfriend -- and her idiosyncrasies, friends and family -- but hate her cat, to the point that you strangle it? No. And No.
The Post makes a mockery of the case, just as Estephane mocks the jury's intelligence and court system. Both cases directly or indirectly have repercussions on the safety -- emotional or physical -- of people around the aggressor, whether it is his family or the community. Ask Lisa Altobelli how safe she feels around Petka now; fact is, he did get back at her for sharing the attention that he wanted for himself. Estephanes' neighbors knew of the dogfighting for years, but didn't make complaints to officials for fear of retaliation -- the reason many neighbors never call the police. This alarmingly unsympathetic "Hey, it's just a cat" attitude is same one that is seen in Petka case. It's not just a cat, or just a dog. It's a symptom of something very, very wrong in the aggressor. It's not just about getting another pet, or slapping a ringleader on the wrist. Attitudes like that can get us into deep trouble.