While the 'Hunger Games' actress wishes it didn't have to end in a 'brawl,' she notes that the alleged animal abuser wasn't bleeding and 'the dog was going to die.'
- Apr 8, 2022
AceShowbiz - Jena Malone has been hailed by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for her heroic action to save an animal. The actress has received a Compassionate Action Award from the organization after rescuing an abused dog.
In a release on its website, PETA announced that it granted the award to the Johanna Mason depicter in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and its two sequels "for jumping into action to stop a dog from being beaten." The organization added, "May this fearless and kind action serve as an example for others to follow."
PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange also said in a statement issued on Thursday, March 7, "When Jena saw that a dog's life was in danger, she dropped everything to race to his rescue. PETA is certain that her selflessness and kindness will inspire many others not to be silent in the face of cruelty to animals."
Jena drove through Hollywood on Monday, April 4 when she saw a man abusing a small white dog on the street. The man was repeatedly yanking the terrier mix named Champion in the air and choking it near Sunset Boulevard and the 101 freeway.
Jena pulled over and chased down the man before signaling others for help. In a video obtained by NBC4, several people are seen assaulting the alleged abuser on the street when the animal was no longer with him, before he was taken by police.
"I pulled over and started chasing him," the 37-year-old star said in the clip, "Because it's absolutely not OK." She was later shown cradling Champion.
In a series of tweets, Jena detailed what went down that day. "This was really scary," she began sharing along with a clip of the citizen's arrest. "I saw a man kicking repeatedly a small dog on the sunset, yanking him up in the air and absolutely choking the dog. I yelled at him to stop from my car but he wouldn't. I got out of my car to try and get the dog but he started running. So I started chasing him."
After she noticed five other men joined the chase, Jena went back to her car, which was still running. She then drove to see if they caught the alleged animal abuser. "I didn't see the brawl but I was told that the man did not give up the dog without a fight," she added.
She also informed that "after coming out of the hospital, the dog is ok but has a fractured rib, bone breaks in it's hind legs and another fracture in its right paw. It was absolutely horrific seeing an animal treated this way."
While she wishes that it didn't have to end in "a brawl," she noted, "the dog was going to die. No question. I can't imagine the level of torture it had suffered until this point. And now it's safe in a hospital." She also assured that "the man get arrested and he wasn't bleeding and seemed coherent after this filmed altercation."
Turns out the man isn't the actual owner of the dog. In an update, Jenna said, "the dog was chipped and back with his owner. The dog had been missing for a week. His name is champion and is happily out of hospital and with his owner," who is the man's mother, Kelly McKinney. She said her son stole the dog after she temporarily left the pet in the care of the nonprofit donation center she runs.
The man, who has been identified as 29-year-old Kendall McKinney, was arrested on Monday and the district attorney filed felony Animal Cruelty charges against the suspect on Tuesday.
