A 13-year-old girl gets help from neighbors on whose house she had frantically rang the doorbell, saying that she was starved and forced to wear a shock collar for three years as a form of punishment when she "misbehaves."
The neighbor said that the girl was ringing their doorbell frantically. When the neighbor, Karen Villec, opened the door, the girl handed her the shock collar, and it buzzed in her hand, she recalled.
The girl also said she was forced to assist three adults with shoplifting. Chattanooga Daily News reported that three women were charged with one count of aggravated assault, child abuse, and neglect of a child since the Vellics reported the incident.
Call for help in the shock collar
Officers responded to a call about possible child abuse on March 1, after Villec reported the incident. The girl showed her neck where there were two marks from the dog collar. Villec said that her husband called 911 while calming the girl in the kitchen.
Court records indicated that three women were identified as suspects: 20-year-old Rachel Mennig, 22-year-old Rebecca Mennig, and 42-year-old Kelly Mennig. The women were taken into custody and held at the Candem County Jail. They are expected to make their first court appearance on Friday, at 9 AM.
The responding officers found that the child had markings on her neck, consistent with wearing the collar. Authorities also took the girl to the hospital for treatment and examination.
The 13-year-old girl told the police that Rachel, Kelly, and Rebecca Mennig had been using the shock collar as a form of punishment since she was in the fourth grade. She added that she was also deprived of food and clothing amenities.
Investigators said Kelly Mennig denied knowing about the shock collar.
The 13-year-old girl has been removed from the home by the Child Protection and Permanency Division. Villec was also happy to know that the girl had already gone back to school.
Controversial training tools for dogs
Shock collars are considered a controversial training tool for dogs as it delivers a varying degree of electronic stimulation by their handlers through remote control. The device can cause burns and painful wounds to a dog's neck and is banned in Denmark, Norway, and various parts of Australia as it causes phobia, stress, and physiological distress.
It also results in faster heart rates and painful burns to the dog's skin. Some vets report that some dogs quiver on the ground after administering the shock through the collars.
People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says the shocks increase the heart and respiration rate or cause gastrointestinal disorders in dogs. The collars also tend to malfunction, which may either cause no shock or nonstop shock on the animal.
The device is not meant for humans.
