There are times when I feel ashamed to be a member of the human race. This is such a time after reading about the cruelty teens inflicted on an innocent dog and kitten.

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I originally read and then wrote about Zig Zag in 2009, and today somehow I found his story again. So, it was like reading it for the first time, and I felt incredibly saddened by it and righteously angry with the cruel punks who victimized him.

This account came to me through a newsletter from United Animal Action. Here is their account of what happened to Zig Zag: "Zig Zag was minding his own business in south-central Los Angeles on one warm day, when, according to police reports and eyewitness accounts, five young teens approached the Rottweiler mix, caught him and tied him up. They took wooden boards with nails and beat him. Then they beat him with a steel pipe. Bleeding and howling, Zig Zag lapsed into unconsciousness. But the torture wasn't over.

One of the youths poured boiling water over him until he woke up. As he regained his senses, one of the teens poured lighter fluid on him and set him afire. Zig Zag tried to run, but he was beaten again until nearly every bone in his body was broken.

When the police arrived, Zig Zag crawled into their squad car and died."

On reading this, I felt terribly saddened that no one seeing this horrendous act tried to stop it. Can you believe that teens could actually do something so horrendous to an innocent dog they found on the streets? What kind of upbringing did these monsters have?

I hope the saying "What goes around will come around" will apply to these incredibly cruel punks. If any teens deserved jail time - in my opinion, these did. However, per the newsletter --the perpetrators in this case received scant punishment and were quickly back on the streets, free to harm more innocent animals. Not only did we have cruel teens, seemingly inadequate parenting, but a criminal justice system which failed to address this cruelty adequately, and which allowed the cruel perpetrators to go improperly punished.

If you are not ashamed of these horrible "punks" -people like me are. If you are not ashamed of a justice system which failed Zig Zag, then people like me are.

I also noted on this paper a written memo which I had jotted down re another horrible killing account by two teen girls, 17 and 14 years old. Tiger Lily , a sweet innocent kitten was placed into a 400 degree oven by the 14 year-old. Can you even begin to imagine the terrible suffering of this poor kitten? What kind of monsters would do this to a harmless kitten? And these monsters were only in their teens.

Cheyene "C." -the 17 year-old, received a sentence of one year in prison, but the cruel 14 year-old was let off scot free. Two questions -- how could they not punish the 14 year- old who was even the more guilty party of the two? Second question- how were these two horrible teens raised? Is it possible that they had good parents? Were they ever punished for bad behavior or faulty indiscretions?

In my opinion, the cruel teens who killed Zig Zag and the two cruel girls who killed Tiger Lily may not have been the products of a good, religious family. Were they allowed to do as they pleased? Were they ever punished for bad behavior when there was justification for it? Or maybe the teens themselves had been victims of parental cruelty which caused them to become hardened, callous, and indifferent to the feelings of other living beings.

Whatever the reasons- I still find it hard to think kindly of these cruel teens. Even a cruel upbringing should not have led to their unspeakable crimes to an innocent dog and kitten. If anybody is working towards a PhD and needing a doctoral thesis subject in sociology or psychology -- this could well be one.

Were these cruel youth guilty of such cruelty to Zig Zag and Tiger Lily the products of too much corporal punishment or not enough? I think most people are abhorrent of the idea of using corporal punishment -- so then just let us ask the question -- Were other means of punishment used when merited? What about education? Were these youth brought up with a reverence for God and all His creation? I believe this is paramount to living life compassionately. If they had viewed Zig Zag and Tiger Lily as creatures of God, would they have treated them so ill?

Exploring their background may help determine if punishment for bad behavior or the lack of it may have played a part in their cruel behavior to ZigZag and Tiger Lily. But in my opinion, there can never be justification for what they did to two innocent creatures of God.

Authors Bio:
I have been concerned about animal suffering ever since

I received my first puppy Peaches in 1975. She made me take a good look at the animal kingdom and I was shocked to see how badly we treat so many animals. At 77, I've been a vegan for the past 30 years and I thank God every day that I am. I am most disturbed at how little the Catholic Church and Christian churches generally give to concern re animal suffering in their ministry. I wrote to 350 bishops in 2001 and only 10-13 responded. I feel that the very least they can do is to instruct that the priests give one sermon a year on compassion to animals. I am still waiting for that sermon. I also belong to Catholic Concern for Animals - founded in England in 1929. (They are on the internet) I recently sent a sample copy of their bi-monthly publication called the ARK to the 8 Catholic bishops of Ohio. Only ONE kindly responded. Somehow we have to reach the Christian teaching magisterium. There is next to nothing re animal concerns and compassion for them. They basically believe that animals are the lesser of God's creation and that gives us the right to do anything we want to them. Way wrong. We need to change their mindsets. The animals are God's first and He expects us to treat them compassionately.