Animal abuse of any form is never acceptable.
It is frightening to see when animal abuse goes unpunished, for all parties involved.
Grace is a young goat who was severely taken advantage of. Her owner rented her out to a group of high school students for just $10.
In a video posted to Facebook, the Fayetteville High School students can be seen holding the goat while one of the boys breaks a beer can over her head.
When this video gained attention online, an obvious rage spread among animal lovers. Leanne Lauricella, founder of baby goat sanctuary Goats of Anarchy in New Jersey, immediately was infuriated and acted fast to save this little girl.
"This is not normal behavior and anyone who abuses an animal for fun is capable of much worse. I want to encourage people to speak up if they see or hear about this type of abuse," Leanne told LittleThings.
Leanne worked hard to get Grace out of this abusive situation, as it is clear that not only were these teens at fault, so was her owner.
"Her safety was our number one priority," Leanne posted on Instagram when they first got Grace. "We have confirmed that this IS her! She is with our contact in Arkansas and we are making arrangements to get her back to GOA."
The Fayetteville Police Department has since announced no animal cruelty charges will be pressed at this time, as "a school resource officer took down a report about the incident, but the facts of the case did not meet the threshold of animal cruelty."
While the Fayetteville PD reported there are no charges and the animal was "unharmed," when Grace first made it to Goats of Anarchy days ago, she had a fever, was severely underweight, had a cold, had scratches in her eyes, and was shaking.
Despite her poor health and abuse, the veterinarian told Goats of Anarchy that Grace will be OK, with lots of care and love.
"My what a difference a day makes," Leanne wrote on Instagram. "Grace and I went for a 5 minute walk outside today. She is the sweetest most timid little goat I've ever seen. She is healing and slowly starting to trust me. I just want to thank all of you for the overwhelming support."
"The response and support has been overwhelming and it just goes to show that people have had enough and we are all ready to see a change," Leanne told LittleThings. "The animal cruelty laws need to change, and that is something that I will personally be fighting for after we win this battle for Grace."
To help Grace and see that those who hurt her are punished, you can sign this petition!
Please SHARE this to help get justice for Grace and all other animals that have been abused like her!
