SALEM — An animal rights activist from Beverly was arrested by Salem police this week for refusing to turn over a dog she believed had been abused.
Kim Hyder, 51, who was a national finalist in a "sexiest vegetarian" contest run by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), was arrested Tuesday night at the Hawthorne Building in downtown Salem, where she was teaching a children's acting class. A student brought a small dog to the class and told Hyder that he was taking care of it because, earlier that day, it had been kicked in the head and had a knife thrown at it.
At the end of class, when the alleged abuser, a 10-year-old boy, and his older sister arrived to pick up the dog, Hyder refused to let it go. When they called the police, the teacher said she initially defied a police sergeant's repeated orders to release the leash because she didn't want the dog turned back to what she thought was an abusive owner.
At one point, Hyder put out her arms and told police, "Arrest me, I'm not letting go," according to the police report.
She was charged with disorderly conduct, handcuffed and booked at the police station. She spent a few hours in a cell and was released when a bail bondsman arrived.
Hyder, who hosts a cable television show for Friends of Beverly Animals, said she has been active in animal rights issues but never arrested or involved in any incident like this. She has rescued feral cats, she said, and demonstrated in Harvard Square and the North End against the sale of foie gras, a delicacy made from the liver of a duck or goose.
"My whole thing is to keep behind the scenes," she said. "Some activists don't do that and that's cool, but I keep a very low profile. ... But since this was in my space, I decided to do something about it."
Hyder said she was so upset after hearing about the alleged abuse, which she said was corroborated by another boy and a parent, that she decided to protect the dog and, if necessary, bring it home.
The animal, she said, showed signs of mistreatment.
"I noticed that he was very skittish, and he had aggression," she said.
In the police report, the dog, whose name is Bruno, is identified as a Chihuahua, but Hyder said it was a miniature greyhound mix. It weighed only a few pounds, she said.
"My cat weighs more," she said. "He was so thin that when I held him in my hand you could barely feel him. There was nothing there."
When the boy who allegedly abused the dog arrived to pick it up, Hyder said she asked him if he had kicked the dog, which he denied. "I said, 'You can't kick a dog. That's not right.' He became very fresh. ...
"I wasn't going to release the dog," she said. "I couldn't imagine the dog getting kicked in the face again."
Hyder said she sat holding the dog on a leash while police talked to the alleged abuser and the other boys to get both sides of the story. One boy told police that the 10-year-old not only abused the dog but held a steak knife up to him in a threatening manner, and the other boy said the 10-year-old swung the knife at him, according to the report.
When a police sergeant ordered her to release the dog, Hyder said she felt she couldn't. However, she said she eventually dropped the leash.
"I had to stand my ground," she said. "I had to protect this dog in a moral way."
Hyder said she understands the police were just doing their job and had no direct evidence of abuse, but she felt she had no choice.
"Personally and professionally, I felt like I had an obligation, whether this was an alleged case or not. This was in my backyard. ... Whether I'm right or wrong, we'll have to work that out."
Bruno was released to its owners.
Hyder, a finalist last year in a "Sexiest Vegetarian Over 50" contest sponsored by PETA, appeared in Salem District Court on Wednesday morning. Her case was continued to Oct. 8.
The Beverly woman said she contacted the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The 10-year-old boy will be summonsed to juvenile court, police said, and charged with cruelty to an animal and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon — the knife.
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