Special Place in Hell | Urban Living

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Special Place in Hell

Posted By on March 22, 2017, 4:00 AM

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I’m going back to writing columns about real estate. Originally, I was asked to do a column on the lessons of my profession, which I happily did for years. Then I was told to write about “anything you want.” I asked this week if anyone was covering the recent animal abuse case and the editor said he didn’t think so, and, hey, would I go back to educating folks about real estate? Sure, I would love to write about one of my passions and my career experience of 33 years—because some days reality is too damn horrible. So here’s my last commentary unrelated to my real estate expertise:

If you hide from the news, then you probably haven’t heard about Sage, a 6-year-old house cat from Clearfield who went missing from his home on March 5. He later dragged his heart and soul back to his people with broken ribs, feet and toes and bad face injuries. What’s even worse, he wasn’t hit by a car or attacked by a dog. Sage came home with his eyelids, anus and genitals glued shut with hot glue. He passed away shortly after. I didn’t know the cat or his humans, but I know by his act of crawling home that he loved them as much as they loved him.

If there is a hell, there no doubt is a special place in it reserved for people who torture animals. Others agree with me because there is a $60,000-plus reward out there for any information as to who tortured this fuzzy buddy. Originally the Humane Society offered $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the abuser. The story hit the web and money/pledges have poured in from around the globe to help find and convict the perpetrator. PETA is putting up billboards along the Wasatch front with a bold message: “Warning: cats at risk outdoors. They need your protection. Keep them safe inside.”

Zoosadism, which uslegal.com defines as the “pleasure that an individual gains from the cruelty to animals,” is part of a profile and warning signs of certain psychopathologies. Serial killers often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids. Even thinking that one of my animals could be hurt by a human on purpose makes me think I would kill that person, and I have to believe there’s a diagnosis for me thinking I’d do such an act of violence.

So I’m going back to writing about real estate and will avoid horrible stories. But in the meantime, if you have any information on Sage’s murderer, please do the right thing and contact Davis Co. Animal Care and Control at 801-444-2200.

About The Author

Babs De Lay

Babs De Lay

Bio:
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.

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