Hey, there! Log in / Register
Man charged with stomping his own dog at North Station
By adamg on Tue, 10/25/2016 - 12:38pm
UPDATE: Bail set at $5,000, but he won't be going anywhere because a Boston Municipal Court judge revoked his bail on an unrelated Malden case, per the Suffolk County DA's office. Should he get out, he has to stay away from Sarah, currently limping but in stable condition at Angell.
Transit Police report arresting a man they say repeatedly punched and choked an 11-month-old Husky around 9:30 p.m. yesterday at North Station.
Upon arrival officers were met by witnesses who informed the officers of the following; a male, later identified as John Bowen, 46, of Boston, was striking his dog with a closed fist, kneeling on the dog in a forceful manner and lifting the dog off the ground by it's leash.
Police say officers arrested Bowen, 46, on charges of cruelty to animals and was hauled down to Transit Police headquarters for booking. The Husky, named Sarah, is now under the care of the Boston animal-control center in Roslindale.
Innocent, etc.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Infuriating. Not many things
Infuriating. Not many things in this world make me want to respond with "an eye for an eye" violence, but this is one of them. Anyone who abuses an animal deserves the exact same treatment as punishment.
That dog is just a puppy and
That dog is just a puppy and doesn't deserve to be abused his whole life by that asshole. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't return that dog to him!!!!
yup
Totally agree. Reading even that single paragraph describing animal abuse made me want to scream and throw up. So, so depressing.
I'm earnestly curious, though -- why is that violence against animals can upset us more than violence against people? Maybe because dogs are generally "innocent"? Then again, most human victims of violence are probably also innocent... is there a psychological explanation for this? Did we evolve to pity dogs? WHY DO I FEEL HOW I FEEL.
Remember Barfly with Mickey
Remember Barfly with Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway? Charles Bukowski (portrayed as Hank Chinaski in the film)? He said it wasn't that he didn't like people -- he just felt better when they weren't around.
Good question.
I think it is because animals are animals and people are people. Many of us just have more empathy for an abused animal than an abused person. Some of us tend to judge people more harshly which allows us to label them as "losers", for example, without examining the circumstances of the why behind why they act the way they do.
In a country where we do very little to help those who are poor, homeless, suffering from addictions and/or mental illness, I can't fault these folks for their poor and sometimes horrific behavior. We, as in the collective we, also have obligations.
John Patrick Bowen is a loser
Rapist - 1988 in Malden
Lewd Behavior 2001
Tried to sue the court officers and judge of the family court in Worcester (from the county lock up) for granting restraining orders and declining attempts for child custody.
Puts together a pitiful pack of lies to scam cash using a dog, pretending to just be down and out and picked on by the system.
This isn't mental illness - the mentally ill are no more likely to kick their dogs or rape than those in the general population.
In a way I'm glad it happened in public
If that's how that person treats his (I'm assuming it's his - it might not be) dog in public, can you imagine what that pup might have gone through in private?
At least now she has a chance to live a life where the person holding the leash doesn't try to strangle her or break her back.
A crowdfunded service dog
It gets worse...
https://www.gofundme.com/serviceanimalhome
Adorable!
That's not how service animals work
You can flame me and disagree all you want but I feel a bit bad for the guy if his plea on gofundme is halfway true. If you have a chaotic life as a homeless person with PTSD, working your way through Social Security, disability and other bureaucracies is almost impossible to navigate. There is a list that's several years long to get out of a shelter and into an apartment in Boston. It's a terrible situation all around.
That said, where/why/how did he get a purebred Siberian Husky puppy and then not be able to afford to get her into a service dog training program? Why not work with some social service agency to get an already trained service dog?
As for housing discrimination, the laws are clear. You can't put a "Service Dog in Training" coat on a dog and tell a potential landlord you're training the dog yourself. Landlords cannot refuse housing for true service animals but Sarah isn't one. She's a companion pet.
Maybe a switch flipped in his brain, he freaked out and went after the dog. I have anxiety and one of the ways it manifests itself is rage. I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to punch a wall during an anxiety attack.
I'm not giving him a get out of jail card, I'm saying take the dog away, get him the treatment he needs and get him into a shelter. It's nice to have a pet who makes you feel loved when you think no one else loves you but if you don't love that pet back then you don't deserve that kind of unconditional love.
Emotional Support Animal?
If the facts as represented here are true, that man obviously should not have responsibility for an animal of any sort. But there is an intermediate designation between a mere companion animal and a formally-trained Service Animal. A physician can designate certain untrained animals as Emotional Support Animals for people with documented disabilities. Such ESAs are eligible for housing accommodations but are not to be brought into restaurants, for example. I think this is worth mentioning simply for those who are not aware - I am not suggesting that anyone who would abuse an animal should be eligible.
It has been removed.
n/t
Found some interesting background on him/his dog...
This loser has a GoFundMe page touting his new-found solace due to the dog & his Christianity: https://www.gofundme.com/serviceanimalhome
I guess those traits didn't apply anymore?!
When people "solve" their problems
with Christianity, you can be sure that more/worse/the original problems are on the way. We all likely know someone who went to AA and gave themselves up to a higher power then fell off the wagon. "Gee guy, guess it's in God's mighty plan for you to ruin your life and bring suffering to those around you! Probably halted nuclear war somehow! You know, a butterfly flaps its wings..."
It's all garbage. You are either weak-willed or your not. Everyone wants to shift blame to someone else. I can't wait to hear this BD's excuse for publicly whipping that pup.
Yep
I hope that the social workers involved with his family question his fitness to continue seeing his kids without a chaperone, too.
stomping his own dog
I thought this was going to be another story about a guy playing with himself on the T. Now I'm sad.
interesting.
interesting.
i saw a kind of disheveled dude loitering around with a husky pup outside of dunkies on the corner of congress/high that morning.
so rarely do you ever see dogs down in that direction, nevermind a big husky.
probably the same dude.
It's a struggle...
It's definitely a struggle, because the behavior is completely unacceptable, but I'm trying to find sympathy in my heart for this guy, who obviously suffers from mental illness. It's not natural for me: trying out the idea of being compassionate feels like going into a store, picking out some clothes that I'd never in a million years wear, and trying them on in front of the mirror. If nothing else, it's an illuminating exercise.
Before raining a punch for punch on him
Consider where this guy is in his life. What has pushed him into such a tight corner that he his rage would erupt into punching the dog that the loves? Step into his shoes and wear the frustration that he wears everyday. Enjoy carrying the guilt he now carries for hurting a being that he loves.
It's easy to be self-righteous when a dog is hit. Dogs are as innocent as babies. But few people desire to harm what they love.
At this point in the guy's life he needs help to deal with his rage. Having a dog - while giving him a creature that he can love - also puts in front of him a creature that he can rage against. So he shouldn't have the dog. But will he find the help? Is anyone willing to guide and support him so that he can lift himself up?
Is this guy to be presumed evil and so automatically condemned because he coud not control his anger? What about the Dot born billionaire who rakes in billions from gambling or the New York developer who sues anyone he dislikes but would not give a penny to a man who needs help? They are the ones who are damned.
No. No excuses.
No.
No excuses.
You are confusing two things:
You are confusing excusing behavior with having compassion. They are not the same thing. The behavior is unacceptable and inexcusable. The perpetrator is a damaged soul.
But I also think the original poster is confusing two things
Having compassion doesn't mean being an enabler.
I read the GoFundMe - some of what he says there is suspect. I have heard of people not getting custody because they don't have enough space/bedrooms, but not being denied visitation. Does that happen?
Or are there likely reasons why he doesn't get to take his kids overnight - like rage and instability of the sort that led him to kick his dog around?
Update: level 3 sex offender. There it is.
I think you are confusing two things.
Nothing I read in the original poster's post says "Hey, I am an enabler." Having compassion and/or empathy for some people, in general, are qualities that are in short shrift these days. So I say kudos to the original poster.
Too bad they took the Gofundme down
You would see that this guy is playing a serious manipulative lying game using his kids and dog to get cash.
Buying into an obvious sob story in an appeal for compassion makes the first poster an enabler.
Difference between excuse and cause
No one is excusing his behavior. If he has a legitimate mental illness he needs help and a ban from owning animals and unsupervised visits with his children until he gets better.
If he's not mentally ill and is an an a-hole who likes to hurt dogs and children, then he needs to go to jail and get some rough justice.
It's easy to wave a hand and vilify him but living with mental illness is hard. It's exhausting for me to live with it and mine is under control. I can't imagine what it would be like to live with my illnesses and be homeless. I might very well be a danger to myself and others.
Here's a simple example of the difference between homeless Nancy and not-homeless Nancy. I have a cold and had a fever yesterday. I felt terrible. I worked from home (a luxury) then logged off and went to my safe, warm bed to rest. I had food to eat and medicine to bring my fever down. What if I were homeless. Where would I sleep to feel warm and get rest? Could I make ginger tea with lemon and honey to make my throat feel better? Where would I get ibuprofen to bring my fever down? Boston Healthcare for the Homeless might give me some ibuprofen and cough drops but not much else. Add mental illness on top of that and ugly things can happen.
That's not an excuse. No one should ever harm an animal or other human being, especially helpless ones. It's a description of what might cause someone to snap like that.
Oh please
Why don't you help him out, then?
There are plenty of people suffering from PTSD, anxiety, rage and homelessness who do not take it out on innocent animals.
Lack of boundaries
Yes, that can really mess up your life.
And lead to beating on your dog.
His custody issues have nothing to do with not having a big enough apartment for a sleepover - that's pure bullshit. I bet they have to do with an explosive temper and unpredictable behavior.
what now
what happens to the dog from here? evidence? does she go back to the family, or just to whomever wants to adopt her from Angell and is willing to foot her medical bills?
Where did he get this dog in the first place?
I'm sorry but I have not
I'm sorry but I have not trouble trying to find sympathy for this jerk. There is none. PTSD? From reading his Go Fund Me page; I'm reading about a guy that has made poor life decisions and is on a pity tour.
I don't buy one thing he says and anyone that gave him money should get it back. You can't just train a dog yourself and slap on a Therapy Dog vest and think it works. It doesn't work that way and these jerks ruin it for those that really are therapy pets.
Take his dog away and make sure he never gets it back. The dog I care about, I couldn't care less what happens to this loser.
There's something uplifting....
... about spending time with people who have personally been to hell and back, or who have at least stood at the gates of hell and turned away; people who have done battle with their personal demons and emerged victorious. Drunks who have been sober for years. Addicts who have been off drugs for years. People who were formerly going nowhere who are now making something out of their lives.. Vets with PTSD or other damage.
Every one of them whom I've met has been, at the core, profoundly sympathetic toward people I might call deranged loser assholes. Not that they excuse the bad behavior -- far from it; most are quite strict about not tolerating it around themselves. While they might keep their distance from those who are out of control, I never hear them write a person off.
There are all sorts of platitudes about hard times wearing down some of our hard edges, but there may be something to it.
Less about poor life decisions.
It is less about making poor life decisions than being (or being born into) in life circumstances that may influence you (or screw you up) to make poor life decisions. Some of those life circumstances may be within the control of the person but most likely are not.
I think we can do better to label people as "a loser" and "these jerks". Those who are mentally ill, in one form or another, have a disease. It does excuse their behavior, by a long short. Compassion and empathy is what we need more of, Patricia, not judgement.
I've lived with seriously
I've lived with seriously mentally ill and handicapped person. Trust me, I've walked in those shoes with a loved one. And that was long before there were support services as there are today.
I am a pretty good judge of character. You know he suffers from mental illness?
I stand by my statement.
Where's the distinction?
So, to you it's "character", not "mental illness". Do you have any evidence that there's a meaningful difference between them, and not just a label? People who talk about "character" assert that it's purely a matter of choice, but I've yet to hear any of them offer evidence to support their belief. More likely it's a combination of things. Some of it's chemical/physiological and can't simply be wished or willed away. Some of that can be managed, but that depends to a degree on resources. If you can't afford the meds, are you a bad person because you don't exhibit the control that meds would give you?
I think the truth is that there are circumstances beyond our control, and there are resources to deal with them, and that not all people get an equal share of either. If someone has more of the former and less of the latter than you do, they're not likely to have an equal outcome. This is where it becomes clear that blame is a useless conceit, and focusing on agency and the responsibility that comes with it makes more sense.
*Slow clap*
Oh, how wonderful and wise you are having lived with a mentally ill and handicapped person. I envy your ability to discern between bad character and bad actions caused by mental illness. The truth is that you haven't walked in anyone's shoes unless you're the one struggling with mental illness.
Do you know he doesn't suffer from mental illness? How did you determine that?
You're free to stand by your statement and I'm free to send a platitude your way. I hope you never have to go through some of the things that people in the mental illness community. If you do, I hope that people show you compassion instead of making snap judgments about your character. I hope you're strong enough to survive and perhaps even thrive.
Therapy dogs
Not to be pedantic (too late?), but I do think it is important to get these terms right. Any pet and owner meeting certain criteria can be trained as a Therapy Animal, but this is yet another discrete designation that should not be confused with that of Emotional Support Animal. A Therapy Animal and owner might visit nursing homes, for example, but that owner need not necessarily suffer from a disability. Anyone curious might want to Google these very specific legal terms - they are not interchangeable: Companion Animal (pet), Emotional Support Animal, Service Animal, and Therapy Animal. I have seen too much hostility and resentment caused by misunderstandings of this terminology- hence this post.
Beautiful dog!
Sarah really is a beautiful dog. I'm so happy that the idiot is ordered to stay away from her. Hopefully she will find a loving home and be the happy dog she is meant to be.
There is a
difference between a service animal and an emotional support animal. What particular services does this dog do for him or was being trained to do? Emotional support animals are quite different, as they do not perform tasks but are there to comfort the owner by their presence. I don't see any information on that Go Fund Me support page about what the dog does or did. Poor puppy, hope it goes to a happy and stable home.
Adam thank you so much for
Adam thank you so much for the positive update. You're alright in book.
Level 3 sex offender
as well, according to WBZ.
Yes on 3
I ask that the people rightfully outraged by this also vote Yes on Question 3. Extend empathy to all animals.
Adopted!
According to @arlboston on instagram, Sarah has been adopted! I'm so happy for her and her new family.
I met John and Sarah outside
I met John and Sarah outside of North Station several months ago. A few other people and I chatted with him for a little while; he seemed like a very nice and positive guy, and his story really felt legitimate at the time. Very disappointed to hear that, in reality, he's an animal abusing creep. I guess you never know who you're dealing with.