Los Angeles dumpster where the canine's heads were found, according to CBS news.

Two Beheaded Dogs,  a $20,000 Reward And a Heinous Crime

By Diana L. Chapman

    I did a double-take when the Los Angeles City Council approved a $10,000 reward last week to solve the mystery of who dumped two dog heads in a city garbage bin. Another $10,000 was provided by other agencies, totaling $20,000.

    It was more than I can remember being posted for actual homicides.

    But in the end, I agree with the decision --- whole heartedly.

    It's clear that anyone who can chop off these poor canine's heads is someone whose moral barometer is more than broken. It's already off-the-charts and likely to get worse. The common thread that runs through animal abuse is that those perpetrators get bored and then go after bigger game --  people, including kids.

     They become full-blown serial killers.

     The two canines heads were discovered in late March in a South Los Angeles dumpster near Slauson and Vermont avenues. A man rummaging through the garbage there called the police when he found them. 

    I applaud that the finder  took the time to call police -- and that the Los Angeles Police Department cared enough to take it seriously. A top police official called the act "despicable."

     One of the helpless killed dogs was a chocolate Labrador. The other a shepherd mix. It's unclear where the dogs were killed, but it was apparent that their heads were removed with a sharp object.

    I'm glad this crime spurred so much action since animal abuse appears to be rampant in our country. The Humane Society of the U.S. reported in 2007 that one million plus animals that year were abused, tortured, maimed and killed nationally.  Most were linked to cases of domestic violence, according to the Orange County Animal Services website.

    Besides the senseless horror for the animals, officials have other reasons to worry.

    Animal abusers often tend to balloon into serial killers -- a connection the FBI started tracking in the 1970s and confirmed through studies that "most (serial killers) had killed or tortured animals as children," according to animal abuse websites.

    Recognize some of these names:

·            Jeffrey Dahmer, who tortured and killed 17 men and boys, speared the heads of dogs, cats and frogs as a youth.

·            Earl Kenneth Shriner, who raped, stabbed and mutilated a 7-year-old boy, strung up cats and stuck firecrackers in animal rectums.

·            Columbine high school students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold bragged at school that they had mutilated animals before they shot and killed 12 of their classmates.

   Other names include the notorious Ted Bundy and Albert "Boston Strangler" DeSalvo.

    I've always believed that the way a country treats its animals is a reflection for what  we stand for. America doesn't deserve any pets on the back .

     Even though dog fighting remains a felony in the U.S., the national humane society reported in 2007 that 250,000 dogs were put into fighting pits and about 40,000 people participated in organizing these illegal events. Those numbers do not include what's called "bait" -- small puppies, cats and kittens.

    Our poor Los Angeles dumpster dogs - showed no signs of dog fighting -- but their heads were severed  with a sharp object, officials said.

   I never thought I'd be thanking the city of Los Angeles and the other agencies who took these deaths seriously, but I am. Each of these organizations put up an additional $2,500 each: the Humane Society, Best Friends Animal Society, Councilman Paul Koretz and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, according to the Los Angeles Times.