No, the guy pictured above isn't the lead actor in the new off-Broadway play "Shakespeare on Drugs." He's actually just some asshole from Pauls Valley who kicked his girlfriend's dog to death because it was a bad dog and went potty inside:
Oklahoma City police say a man kicked his girlfriend's dog to death after the pet defecated on the floor and snapped at him when he tried to rub its nose in the mess.
Levi Marcus Raper, 25, of Pauls Valley, was arrested Saturday on two complaints of animal cruelty and an unrelated warrant, officer Dan McMillan wrote in the police report. Raper remained in the Oklahoma County jail Monday with bail set at $2,000, and court records show he has not been formally charged.
Police were called to Raper's girlfriend's apartment in the 7000 block of W Britton Road about 8:40 p.m. Saturday. Officers found the body of the woman's terrier-schnauzer mix, according to the report. She told officers Raper killed her dog while she was at a store.
Raper told officers he kicked the dog “a couple of times” after it soiled the floor and snapped at him, McMillan wrote. The dog retreated to a corner, laid down and died.
Court records do not reveal a significant criminal history for Raper. The unrelated warrant stems from a failure to appear at a hearing related to a DUI case in Cleveland County from 2008.
To put the dog's nose in the mess or not put the dog's nose in the mess, that is the question. Actually, that shouldn't be the question at all. It may make you feel dominant and powerful and help you let off steam, but dogs don't learn very well through negative reinforcement. This is primarily because they don't truly feel guilt or remorse. If you want to housetrain your dog, be a strong pack leader and reward it for positive behavior. Don''t put its face in poop or kick it. Can you tell I watched the most recent Dog Whisperer marathon on Animal Planet?
Also, is anyone else disturbed that we as a public care more about tragic stories like this than we do the ones involving actual people? I can read a story in the newspaper about some dude being gunned down in a drive-by and not think twice about it, but I find out a guy kicked a dog to death and I suddenly want to gather up Marsellus Wallace and his African-American friends and get medieval. I'm not proud of it, but it's the truth.
Hopefully Young Shakespeare has to spend some time in jail to reflect on his stupid decision. For punishment, he should be required to volunteer at an animal rescue place, watch Shakespeare plays and draft Michael Vick on all his future fantasy football teams.
