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Patrick Pedraja up for the task

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Link between domestic abuse and animal abuse

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What's wrong with this picture

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Teen making a difference

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Home & Family - Youth Actor and Animal Activist Lou Wegner

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And the race is on...

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Using the web to spread the word

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Social Media becomes a place to share violence

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Police say teens posted video of animal cruelty on social media

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Teen star making a difference for shelter animals

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Why is this abuse?

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Experimentation...

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These Teens Made a Difference- Ayna Agarwal | News For Kids, By Kids | Scholastic.com

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Faye Carey

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Stop the abuse

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A number of studies have drawn links between the abuse of animals and violence against people. A 2001-2004 study by the Chicago Police Department "revealed a startling propensity for offenders charged with crimes against animals to commit other violent offenses toward human victims." Of those arrested for animal crimes, 65 percent had been arrested for battery against another person.

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Cruelty to animals and violence towards people have something in common: both types of victims are living beings, feel pain, experience distress, and may die from their injuries. Until recently, however, violence towards animals had been considered to be unrelated to violence towards children and the elderly, and other forms of domestic violence. A correlation has now been established between animal abuse, family violence, and other forms of community violence. A growing body of research indicates that people who commit acts of cruelty towards animals rarely stop there. Murderers and people who abuse their spouse or children had frequently harmed animals in the past. People who abuse animals may also be dangerous to people.

II. ANIMAL ABUSE AS A PREDICTOR OF FUTURE BEHAVIOR

Cruelty to animals can be a warning sign of future violent behavior. A child's aggressive, abusive behavior towards animals may predict later violence towards people. Child protection and social service agencies, mental health professionals, and educators regard animal abuse as a significant form of aggressive and antisocial behavior, and consider it to be an important red flag in identifying other violent behavior. A child's aggressive, abusive behavior towards animals may predict later violence towards people.

Children and adolescents may abuse animals out of curiosity or exploration, peer pressure, mood enhancement (i.e., to relieve boredom or depression), as a way to emotionally abuse others, or as practice for future interpersonal violence. In addition, adults may commit acts of cruelty to animals in order to express aggression through an animal (i.e., train an animal to attack by using pain to create a "mean" dog), enhance one's own aggressiveness (e.g., use an animal victim for target practice), or to satisfy sadistic urges (i.e., to enjoy the suffering experienced by the animal victim).

There is a significant correlation between acts of cruelty to animals as a child and serious, recurrent aggression towards people as an adult. In fact, one of the most reliable predictors of future violence as an adult is having committed animal abuse as a child. Research in psychology and criminology indicates that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals often do not stop there - many of them later turn on humans. Psychology, sociology, and criminology studies have shown that many violent offenders had committed repeated acts of serious animal cruelty during childhood and adolescence. People who abused pets as children are more likely to commit murder or other violent crimes as adults. In fact, violent criminals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people if they did so against animals as youths. There is a further correlation: the most aggressive criminals had committed the most severe acts of animal cruelty in childhood.

Acts of animal cruelty are not merely signs of a minor personality flaw, but are rather symptomatic of a deep mental disturbance. Cruelty to animals has been recognized as an indicator of a dangerous psychopathy that claims both animal and human victims . A survey of psychiatric patients who had repeatedly tortured animals found that all of them were also highly aggressive towards people.

The link between animal abuse and violence towards people is supported by studies, which have shown that:

A. Serial Killers

Researchers consider a fascination with cruelty to animals as a red flag that may indicate that a person is a serial killer or rapist. According to the deputy manager of animal cruelty issues for the Humane Society of the United States, Dale Bartlett, "...the research shows that most mass murderers and serial killers are likely to have animal cruelty in their background."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considers past animal abuse when profiling serial killers. According to Robert K. Ressler, who developed profiles of serial killers for the FBI, "Murderers...very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids." FBI criminal profiler, John Douglas, writes in The Mind Hunter that serial offenders' earliest acts of violence are often the torture and/or killing of pets or wildlife, then brutalizing younger siblings, and then finally engaging in domestic violence or street crime.

History is replete with serial killers whose violent tendencies were first directed towards animals. Mass murderers Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Albert DeSalvo, and others committed heinous acts of animal cruelty before brutally killing their human victims. Jeffrey Dahmer's first victims were animals: he decapitated dogs and staked cats to trees in his youth. He also impaled frogs, cats, and dogs' heads on sticks. Albert DeSalvo, the "Boston Strangler," who was convicted of killing 13 women, trapped dogs and cats and shot arrows at them through boxes as a youth. Dennis Rader, the "BTK" killer, wrote in a chronological account of his childhood about hanging a dog and a cat. Convicted sniper, Lee Boyd Malvo, who killed 10 people, had "pelted-and probably killed-numerous cats with marbles from a slingshot when he was about 14." Ted Bundy also tortured his pets as a child.

B. School Shooters

The deadly violence that has occurred in schools in recent years has, in most cases, begun with cruelty to animals. Many of the school shooters committed acts of animal cruelty before turning their aggression on classmates, teachers, and parents.

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who shot and killed 12 students at Columbine High School, spoke of mutilating animals to their classmates. Luke Woodham, who murdered his mother and two schoolmates, tortured and killed his own pet dog beforehand. He wrote in his journal about setting Sparkle on fire, describing her dying howls as a "thing of beauty." High-school killer, Kip Kinkel, tortured animals before going on his shooting spree. He was reported to have blown up cows and decapitated cats. Andrew Golden is said to have shot dogs, even his own pet dog, with a .22 caliber rifle before attacking his classmates.

III. ANIMAL ABUSE AS AN INDICATOR OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR NEGLECT

Abusive family members may threaten, injure, or kill pets as a way of controlling others in the family. According to Susan Urban, a certified social worker with the ASPCA's Counseling Services, "[i]n domestic violence,... the perpetrator often uses the animal to hurt a particular person - usually the person who loves and cares for the pet. The animal is abused in order to intimidate, harass or silence the vulnerable person." The message the perpetrator is sending is, "Look what I can do to your animal, and imagine what I can do to you." In addition, the perpetrator may retaliate against a person by hurting his or her pets or by otherwise abusing animals in that person's presence. Studies have found that from 54 to 71 percent of women seeking shelter report that their partners had threatened, injured or killed one or more family pets.

When a family member abuses an elderly relative's pet, the motivations may be complex. Many older adults are particularly attached to their pets, which makes their pets vulnerable to abuse by those who want to exert power and control over the elderly person. The perpetrator may neglect or abuse an elderly person's pet as a form of control or retaliation, out of frustration over their care-taking responsibilities, or as a way to extract financial assets.

In cases of child abuse, perpetrators often abuse animals to exert their power and control over children and other vulnerable family members. In some cases, abusers will force children to sexually abuse, hurt, or kill a pet. Threats of animal abuse may also be used to intimidate children to keep silent about being victims of abuse.

To summarize, batterers may threaten, abuse, or kill animals to

Witnessing abuse towards parents or pets may compromise a child's psychological adjustment, increase his propensity for interpersonal violence, and make children's cruelty to animals more likely to emerge as a symptom of distress. Children who have witnessed domestic violence or who have been the victims of physical or sexual abuse may also become animal abusers themselves, imitating the violence they have seen or experienced.

The correlation between domestic violence and animal abuse is supported by studies, which have shown that:

60% of families with child abuse and neglect also had pets that were abused or neglected;

IV. CONCLUSION

Courts should aggressively penalize animal abusers, examine families for other signs of violence, and order perpetrators to undergo psychological evaluations and counseling. The deputy manager of animal cruelty issues for the Humane Society of the United States, Dale Bartlett, says that they "are trying to impress upon the courts and prosecutors, who handle cases of murder and rape, and often do not take animal abuse seriously that they must begin to realize the connection between how abusers treat people and animals." Schools, parents, communities, and courts that dismiss cruelty to animals as a "minor" crime are ignoring a time bomb.

According to Phil Arkow, humane educator and chair of the Latham Foundation's Child and Family Violence Prevention Project, "Animal abuse must be redefined as a crime of violence..." and "[i]t must be perceived and documented as a human welfare issue." Judy Priess of the SASA Crisis Center says a connection needs to be established "that hurting an animal is just as bad as hurting a person." She believes that if one can prevent a person from abusing animals as an adolescent, one can stop him from abusing people as an adult.

Communities must acknowledge that the abuse of living being is unacceptable and endangers . Recognizing that cruelty to animals is a significant form of aggressive and antisocial behavior may help further the understanding and prevention of violence.

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The Link: Cruelty to Animals and Violence Towards People | Animal Legal & Historical Center

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Cruelty to animals and violence towards people have something in common: both types of victims are living beings, feel pain, experience distress, and may die from their injuries. Until recently, however, violence towards animals had been considered to be unrelated to violence towards children and the elderly, and other forms of domestic violence.

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Facts and Myths About Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse

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Facts and Myths About Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse

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In the last twenty years,researchers and advocates have learned a lot about how pet abuse and domestic violence are related, and how important this relationship is for early identification of both human and animal victims of abuse. Over time, some information may have become distorted or oversimplified. The following are some of the most common "facts and myths" about domestic violence and animal abuse. The information below was compiled from studies that were published in peer-reviewed professional journals or books. A general reference list is available upon request.
FACT: Domestic violence, child abuse, and animal abuse frequently occur simultaneously in a family.

Multiple studies have found that from 49% to 71% of battered women reported that their pets had been threatened, harmed, and or killed by their partners.

In a national survey, 85% of domestic violence shelters indicated that women coming to their facilities told of incidents of pet abuse.

According to a survey, women in domestic violence shelters were 11 times more likely to report animal abuse by their partners than was a comparison group of women not experiencing violence.

A study of 1,283 female pet owners seeking refuge found batterers who abuse pets also used more forms of violence and demonstrated greater use of controlling behaviors.

FACT: Women with pets may delay leaving a dangerous environment for fear of their pets' safety.

Across various surveys, between 18% and 48% of battered women delay leaving a dangerous situation out of concern for their pets' safety.
FACT: Individuals who commit pet abuse are more likely to become batterers.

Pet abuse was identified as one of the four significant predictors for intimate partner violence in a recent "gold standard" study conducted by Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell and colleagues in three metropolitan areas over a period of seven years.

A more thorough understanding of the connection between animal abuse and the likelihood of becoming a batterer would better enable us to intervene at one of the earliest possible points and to stop battering before it begins.

FACT: Animal abuse often is linked to the severity of IPV.

Studies have found a significant association between physical and severe psychological IPV perpetration and a history of animal abuse, as well as an association between pet abuse and controlling behaviors in violent relationships. Moreover, over the past ten years, more and more studies confirm a significant association between animal maltreatment and more frequent and severe forms of intimate partner violence (IPV). These studies included asking women who sought shelter for domestic violence about their experiences, as well as checking court records of men who had been convicted of domestic violence. A revised Danger Assessment instrument designed to predict re-assault in female same-sex relationships included the following question, "Has she threatened to harm a pet, family member, or person with a disability?" At this time it seems clear that seriousness of animal maltreatment is linked to the level of danger to which a domestic violence victim is exposed. This makes it more imperative that both animal protection service/humane law enforcement and human service/law enforcement agencies receive information and training about this connection.
MYTH: Animals abusers represent a distinct type of offender.

We do not know if this is the case since the studies needed to make this assertion have not been done. We do know, however, that animal abusers frequently commit other types of interpersonal violence (IPV). With that information, we can reasonably assume that the personality characteristics of animal abuse offenders will resemble those of other IPV offenders.

To assess the level of dangerousness, there are instruments with known reliability and validity that have been used for years by departments of probation and corrections, forensic mental health experts, domestic violence advocates, and others. These instruments could be used with scientific confidence for assessing how dangerous, or psychopathic, an animal abuse offender may be.

MYTH: A safe haven for pets of domestic violence victims is always a place where the pets of domestic violence victims are sheltered in the same area as the family.

Safe havens come in many different shapes and sizes. In some safe havens, pets do share the same space with the domestic violence survivors. For a list of these types of programs, and information on starting one, go to: http://alliephillips.com/saf-tprogram/

However, there are a variety of ways in which safe havens have organized themselves, depending on the local resources. Some rely on networks of foster care homes or are allowed to use the additional kennel space of a local humane society. Some shelters or humane societies house the pets of domestic violence victims offsite. Often veterinarians are involved. A recent survey of safe havens indicated that a sizeable portion (25%) of safe havens reported some formal relationship with a veterinarian or veterinary association.

Depending on the local arrangement, family members may be able to visit their pets while they are in safe-keeping. How long a pet may stay in a safe haven again will depend on the local arrangement-some stays are much shorter than others. Confidentiality of the pet's location is highly guarded in order to protect the pets and their family members.

For a national listing of all types of safe havens for pets services, see: http://awionline.org/content/safe-havens-mapping-project-pets-domestic-violence-victims

FACT: Safe havens for pets-offering assistance either with direct service or information to survivors of domestic violence about housing their pets safely-have grown nationally.
For additional information or for a list of references, please contact Mary Lou Randour, Ph.D. at (202) 446-2127 or marylou@awionline.org.

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what to do in case of domestic violence and pet abuse

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planning for pets of domestic violence victims

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Facts and Myths About Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse

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In the last twenty years, researchers and advocates have learned a lot about how pet abuse and domestic violence are related, and how important this relationship is for early identification of both human and animal victims of abuse. Over time, some information may have become distorted or oversimplified.

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Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal

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Animal cruelty, pet abuse & violence: the missed dangerous connection

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The mistreatment and abuse of animals is a significant indicator of violence towards humans, up to and including intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, rape, murder. All too often mental health professionals and prosecutors miss the seriousness of any cruelty towards animals and the significant role animal cruelty plays in the perpetuation of violent and non-violent criminal behavior. The literature supports that animal cruelty is one of the earliest markers for future acts of both violent and nonviolent criminal behaviors. Whether animal cruelty occurs prior to or subsequent to witnessing or experiencing any type of abuse is unknown. What is known is the connections between experiencing abuse, witnessing domestic abuse, and animal cruelty. This means that the directionality of cruelty to animals is not always clear, that is, which occurs first, the negative environmental factors (abuse) or animal cruelty