A dark side to the hot July weather is being seen by San Antonio's Animal Control Services--a scary increase in animal cruelty cases, News Radio 1200 WOAI's Megan Bishop reports.
"Our cruelty investigators are used to the every day neglect, people who don't provide food or water for their pet," spokeswoman Lisa Norwood said. "Unfortunately what we have seen lately is an uptick in some pretty horrifying cruelty."
She cites a turtle that was crushed to death at a local park, a cat suffocated in a locked metal box, and a donzen kittens dumped along a roadside to die.
"The only thing that we can point to is, its so hot outside, tempers flare, you have more teens running around, and we think there is a connection," she said. "If you see animal cruelty, please report it."
She says in many cases, unfortunately, teenagers are to blame for the spike in cruelty cases.
Norwood says there are several signals that may be red flags for animal cruelty. They include pets being left without access to fresh water, pets who are tethered with heavy chains, and injured or sick animals which have received no veterinary care.
And, believe it or not, Norwood says ACS officers have also seen signs of 'sexual abuse' of pets.