At the age of eleven, Hammett was left traumatized after he witnessed his pet dog Tippy being raped by his next door neighbor.[38][39] On the subject, Hammett recalled:
I went to my neighbor's. The guy took down his pants and started having sex with the dog! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. When he got up, I just took the dog and left. She was still wagging her tail.[38]