Three boys arrested, accused of sexually abusing dogs

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) -- Three boys in the city of Mexicali have been detained and are under investigation for animal cruelty, stemming from sexual encounters with dogs, according to Baja California's Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez.

Mexicali is about 120 miles east of Tijuana and is the state's capital.

Andrade Ramírez says the young suspects were recording themselves while having sex with the animals.

"Videos have circulated where you see one minor, and I don't even know how to describe it, sexually abusing and having relations with a dog," she said. "This is zoophilia, having sexual relations with these small animals that are defenseless while others were recording."

Zoophilia, some call it bestiality, is described as "sexual attraction of a human toward an animal, which may involve the experience of sexual fantasies about the animal or the pursuit of real sexual contact with it."

The attorney general said two of the boys involved are 11 years old, the other is 13.

The younger ones have been referred to counseling along with their parents for "abhorrent behavior," the 13-year-old will be tried as a minor under the law and is facing 2–5 years in custody, according to Andrade Ramírez.

"The parents won't face any penalties unless we find they were involved -- the investigation is ongoing as we are still gathering videos that have been placed on social media," she said.

According to Andrade Ramírez, five dogs are now being treated for sexual abuse.

"They were rescued by our agents in coordination with the Animal Control department, the dogs are being guarded."

The animals have been taken to an animal sanctuary in Mexicali.

"We found out about this on April 4 when a video surfaced on social media, our investigators tracked the IP address for the device that distributed the material," said Ramírez.