Save a Pet, Save a Life
The following blog entry was written by Amanda Dyson.
Save a Pet, Save a Life
In the 1970s, the FBI found that a majority of serial killers tortured or killed animals as a child. Since then, surveys have revealed that 85 percent of women at shelters studied talked about pets being abused by their batterer. It is no secret that animal abuse is a reliable indicator of domestic violence. For this reason, awareness of how to report pet abuse is imperative.
Because the correlation between domestic violence and animal abuse is increasingly recognized by a wide number of individuals and organizations, cross reporting of violence by law enforcement officials, veterinarians, teachers, social workers, and other related professionals is high. Steps taken to report the abuse of an animal can be an effective tool for preventing or stopping domestic violence. In fact, most US states have laws in place that allow for animal abuse to be punishable as a felony. Although animal rights laws cover more issues than harm to companion pets, effective prosecution “can provide an early and timely response to those who are, or who are at risk of becoming, a threat to the safety of others.”
Pets are sometimes used as a form of control over victims, often women and children, to create fear and forced submission. Concern for a pet’s welfare has been shown to keep women from leaving an abusive relationship. For children, 90 percent report witnessing abusive behavior toward pets and becoming upset by the act; “50 percent of these children said they had protected pets, in some cases by directly intervening to keep pets from being harmed.” In some instances, children learn this behavior and harm animals in an act of anger. It should be noted that cruelty toward animals by children is not a part of a normal stage in a child’s development and should be addressed immediately.
If you witness or know that an animal is being abused, please follow recommendations by the Humane Society: “If you witness animal abuse or neglect, please contact your local humane society, animal shelter, or animal control agency immediately. In most areas, those agencies have the jurisdiction and capability to investigate and resolve these situations. They rely on concerned citizens to be their eyes and ears in the community and to report animal suffering. If you are not sure where to call or if there is no animal welfare agency of that sort in your community, call your local police department or sheriff’s office.” The Humane Society keeps a directory of safe havens for animals at hsus.org. American Humane also provides a list of domestic violence shelters that allow pets at americanhumane.org. If there is no listing for your area, call a local shelter and ask about temporary assistance for pets in domestic violence situations.
If you are concerned about the safety of pets in your home, be prepared with extra provisions for them, emergency veterinary phone numbers, and copies of medical records. Establish ownership of your pet by changing all kept records to your name and choose an emergency shelter that is unknown to the abuser. If you have left an abusive situation with your pet, change veterinarians and avoid leaving animals outside alone.
Any choice to abuse an animal is a sign of a larger problem and is never okay. Preventing family violence can begin with documenting visits to the veterinarian or reporting known pet abuse. If services for pets affected by family violence are not advertised, ask. Reporting violence on all living creatures is required to help end the cycle.
Resources featured in blog entry:
Frequently Asked Questions about Animal Cruelty
Pets as Pawns in Domestic Violence
State Animal Cruelty Chart
The Connection Between Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty
Children and Animal Cruelty: What Parents Should Know
Common Questions about Animal Shelters
Domestic Violence/Companion Animals
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 pm31 2:58 pm
Categories: share your voice
Dear Reader:
We write with utmost concern for people and those who have been abused, especially drug users and people on the street, or nearly on the street, and especially in the past 15 years. We are aware of a rumor in Seattle about violent magazines. Police involved in child sexual exploitation cases have (and this part is 100% true) found more than one adult exploitation sex magazine where the viewer is shown adult women being beaten and raped. Sometimes she is murdered. A rumor in the needle drug addict community in Seattle and in Washington State where I live is that doing needle drugs is a kind of Satanic “magic” that lets the adult abuser in the photographs leave the pages. Junkies have even threatened to send him to harm family members. I know because I was a family member that found out how “sick” my relatives were when I finally figured out what their threats meant. The men they are talking about are actually older male child abusers who are dead. They are in the violent magazines by not appropriate trick photography that someone who is very sick, and needs incarceration, has done. I am sorry if the rumor has affected you (all). (And) I hope this puts a stop to it!
Sincerely,
Dustin
This happened in my situation with my abuser, he went after our dog and I put my self in the middle to stop him then he would come after me. I found the dog another home since I could not stand to see my dog thrown on his back and yelping in pain. This was not a small dog either he was around 110 pounds of Cane Corso, I could never understand why this dog didn’t give him what he deserved. He is doing great now with his new owners.
I found this strange that he picked on the dog we bought together but never the dog he had from a previous relationship who was totally neglected and left alone for over 12 hours per day. Now on my own with my two boys I took a golded retreiver in who was abused and neglected.