In the name of Justice

The memory of a badly abused puppy fuels an animal-safety foundation

In April of 2012, the story of Justice, a four-month-old pit bull that died after allegedly being doused with lighter fluid and lit on fire by a group of young men, shocked and outraged hundreds across the city.

Now, a year later, DFW Rescue Me keeps the pup’s memory alive and works tirelessly to spread the message that animal abuse will not be tolerated through its program Voices for Justice.

Voices for Justice is an educational program that teaches kids about animal abuse,

Silav, MD

says East Dallas resident Carol Brewer, one of the founders of Voices for Justice and a board member.

Members of the organization go from school to school teaching children how to properly treat their furry friends.

“Our thought process was that we should try to influence them while they’re younger, so as they grow up they have more of an opportunity to influence their peers,” says volunteer coordinator Jennifer Partridge.

The program began almost by accident at Partridge’s school, Pleasant Grove Elementary, last spring.

After Justice died, Partridge’s class at Pleasant Grove hosted a bake sale to raise money for the Justice Fund. During the sale, members of DFW Rescue Me took time to meet the students and talk with them about animal abuse.

“It really kind of spawned the idea that we should be going into schools and organizations with young kids to talk with them about how to treat their pets with love, care and respect, like members of their family,” explains Brewer.

From there, Brewer approached the Voices for Justice board and received the green light on organizing a group of people to create PowerPoint presentations for youngsters.

Today the organization has reached more than 2,750 students throughout the city and beyond.

At each meet, they teach kids how to treat animals as well as how to recognize signs of abuse – hitting, kicking, throwing things, yelling and neglect. They tell students that if they ever witness abuse they should tell an adult, or, if no adults are present, call 3-1-1, a non-emergency number, for help.

At the end, the students pledge to treat animals with love and respect. The program also addresses questions about adopting from a shelter and, with older kids, about spaying and neutering their pets.

The program continues to gain traction as businesses and organizations across the city eagerly jump on board. Voices for Justice hosts events whenever and wherever possible.

They were invited to make an appearance at the grand opening of Green Grocer on lower Greenville and to set up shop at Pet Supplies Plus at Mockingbird and Skillman. They participated in the St. Patrick’s parade and a long list of other events and locations.

On March 1, Voices for Justice hosted its largest event in Dallas, an all-day event at Ascher Silberstein Elementary that reached more than 800 students.

Justice’s story:

On April 4, 2012, DFW Rescue Me president Jim Wagner received a call from Dallas Animal Services (DAS) that a four-monthold pit bull mix needed help.

When he got to DAS, he found that the puppy, which later became known as Justice, had been badly burned, so he rushed the pup to the animal emergency hospital. Justice had third-degree burns covering 70 percent of his body.

Under careful watch of the veterinarians, Justice began to recover. Soon his story reached news organizations and took the Internet by storm, public outrage following closely in its wake.

According to the police report, eyewitnesses claim a group of young men poured charcoal lighter fluid over the pup and sent him up in flames with the flick of a cigarette butt. A woman extinguished the flames with her T-shirt while someone called 9-1-1.

At first, the vets were optimistic, and the city watched in hopeful anticipation of Justice’s recovery, but then, suddenly, Justice took a turn for the worse. His body was unable to fight the infection, and he died.

People continued to pour money into the Justice Fund, which volunteers put toward helping other abused animals. Today, they’ve helped more than 40 “Justice dogs.”

—Brittany Nunn

To learn more abouT JusTice’s sTory, search “Justice” on advocatemag.com.

To find ouT how you can geT involved, visit dfwrescueme.org/voices-for-justice, or email voicesforjustice@dfwrescueme.org.

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