A New Jersey teen was forced to wear a canine shock collar as punishment when she was “bad,” according to an arrest warrant obtained by The Daily Beast.
The 13-year-old girl, who lives in the South Jersey town of Stratford and is identified in the warrant only by her initials “I.D.,” was first made to wear the collar, some of which can deliver a jolt up to 4,500 volts or more, when she was 9, states a probable cause affidavit attached to the filing.
Shock collars can cause burns and painful wounds to dogs’ necks, and are outlawed in several countries including Denmark, Norway, and parts of Australia as they are responsible for creating “psychological distress… including phobias and high levels of stress, and can result in unhealthy increases in heart rate and painful burns” to a dog’s skin, says the SPCA of British Columbia. Some vets have seen dogs left “quivering” on the ground after shocks were administered through their collars, and the devices were banned by the Welsh Association of Chief Police Officers in 2000.
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“The anxiety and confusion caused by repeated shocks can lead to changes in a dog’s heart and respiration rate or gastrointestinal disorders,” according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. “Electronic collars can also malfunction, either administering no shocks at all or nonstop shocks.”
They are not meant to be used on humans, under any circumstances.
Stratford police first became aware of the alleged abuse on March 1, when a concerned neighbor called 911 after “I.D.” showed up at her door with the shock collar strapped around her neck.
Cops “observed that the child had markings on her neck consistent with wearing the collar,” the affidavits said, adding that the teen was taken to the hospital “to be examined for any other injuries.”
There, detectives interviewed “I.D.,” who told them that 20-year-old Rachel Mennig “put the collar around her neck and shocked her multiple times and has done this in the past,” according to the affidavit. (The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, which provided the filings to The Daily Beast, requested that the exact relationships between “I.D.” and the suspects not be disclosed.)
Investigators spoke to 42-year-old Kelly Mennig, who lives in the home and denied knowing anything about the shock collar.
But in a forensic interview police conducted with “I.D.” at the Camden County Child Advocacy Center, the girl said Rachel Mennig—as well as Kelly and Rebecca Mennig—had been using the shock collar on her “as forms of punishment” since she was a fourth-grader.
“I.D. additionally detailed times that she was deprived of the appropriate amounts of food and clothing amenities,” the affidavit states.
Rebecca Mennig, 22, also denied using the shock collar on “I.D.” However, another member of the household told cops that they had “observed the dog shock collar used on ‘I.D.’ numerous times in the past as a form of punishment when she (I.D.) acts ‘bad.’”
At around 3 p.m. last Tuesday, the neighbor who first notified police about the situation, Karen Villec, heard her doorbell ringing “frantically,” she told The Daily Beast.
“[I.D.] is standing there and she goes, ‘They’re shocking me! They’re shocking me!’” Villec recalled. “And she hands me this dog collar, which is like, vibrating in my hand. She lifts her head up and I can see the marks on her neck where they were shocking her. So my husband called 911, and I was in the kitchen with [I.D.], trying to calm her down.”
After “I.D.” was checked out at a nearby hospital, she was removed from her home by child welfare authorities and placed with a foster family, according to Villec.
“She went to school yesterday, so I was happy to hear that,” Villec said, describing the Mennigs as “trash.”
“We all feel bad that nobody in the neighborhood knew about this,” Villec continued. “But you know what—everybody has secrets. And kids are really good at keeping secrets, because they’re afraid.”
In February, Rachel Mennig posted an appeal on Facebook calling attention to the problem of animal abuse.
“For my birthday this year, I’m asking for donations to [the] Animal Welfare Association,” Mennig wrote. “I’ve chosen this nonprofit because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll consider contributing as a way to celebrate with me. Every little bit will help me reach my goal.”
She has so far raised $10 of her $200 goal.
Rachel, Kelly, and Rebecca Mennig are facing charges of aggravated assault, child abuse, and neglect, and are being held at the Camden County jail.
They were unable to be reached for comment on Tuesday, and it’s unclear whether they have retained lawyers to speak on their behalf.
“If [anyone is] on the fence about doing anything to these three, please put the dog collar on and let me shock you,” said Villec.
The Mennigs will make their first court appearance on Friday at 9 a.m., according to Camden County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Andrew Kramer.
