City police have arrested two boys they say were involved in a May attack on a puppy near a Southwest Baltimore golf course, a day after authorities detained another juvenile in a separate animal cruelty case.
The boys, both 10 years old, were transported to the city's juvenile detention center.
Police say a witness at the Carroll Park Municipal Golf Course watched the boys beat the puppy with belts and sticks May 16. The names of the boys, who were arrested Wednesday, were not released.
The incident happened about six weeks after police say a 13-year-old boy tied up a pit bull and pelted it with rocks in the 3700 block of Greenspring Ave. in Northwest Baltimore. The teenager was arrested Tuesday and charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a felony. Police say the boy confessed to the beating, and he was transferred to the juvenile detention center.
The news comes as the city's Anti-Animal Abuse Task Force concludes its yearlong examination of animal cruelty in Baltimore.
Last summer, then- Mayor Sheila Dixon formed the task force after the death of Phoenix, a pit bull puppy doused with gasoline and set on fire. The dog was euthanized because of its severe injuries.
The group was charged with assessing the effectiveness of Baltimore's cruelty laws and brainstorming ways to raise awareness of animal abuse. They were also to consider ways city agencies and animal advocates could better coordinate their efforts to stop abuse and better prosecute offenses.
With the support of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, it appears that the task force, which includes representatives from city offices, the police, the state's attorney's office, animal welfare organizations and city residents, is going to become a permanent advisory commission. If so, it could be the first city commission in the country dedicated to animal abuse.
The City Council is expected to vote next month on the commission's creation. In the meantime, some members of the public are expressing concern over the Police Department's treatment of the animal abuse cases that have occurred in the city since the death of Phoenix.
Sign up for Baltimore Sun local news text alertsSign up for Baltimore Sun local news text alerts