18x24 Pastel on Paper

Artist's Note: Rhonda Kamper, Henry's mom, explained that her husband had hurt Henry to get back at her because he was jealous of the dog. He claimed that she "loved the dog more than him" and became increasingly resentful of her time with Henry. Rhonda would come home from work to find mysterious bite marks and scratches on Henry. Later she would discover the incredible brutality and promptly filed for divorce. Since then Henry's story is not only being used to change animal cruelty laws in Utah, but also as a prime example of how domestic violence abusers will attack an innocent family pet to control a family member. Accounts of animal abuse as a precursor to human abuse are well documented. Animal abuse is an early warning sign of domestic violence and should be taken very seriously.