NCJ Number
182976
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 67 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2000 Pages: 28-30
Date Published
June 2000
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article examines the link between animal abuse and domestic violence.
Abstract
A study of battered women in Wisconsin revealed that, in four out of five cases, abusive partners had also been violent toward pets or livestock. A New Jersey study found that in 88 percent of families where there had been physical abuse of the children there were also records of animal abuse. Two-thirds of the abusers harming animals were the children’s fathers while the remaining third were the children themselves. The FBI has used the correlation between childhood animal abuse and adult violence in profiling serial killers. In addition, animal abuse in the home is an indicator of serious family problems. Victims of domestic violence are often reluctant to leave an abusive situation if it means leaving their pets behind to face possible abuse or neglect. Many shelters for battered women have established a relationship with a local animal shelter to house the pets of families fleeing abuse in their own home, helping ease the families’ anxieties and providing children access to the comfort their pets provide. The article describes innovative ways law enforcement agencies are incorporating knowledge of animal abuse into their domestic abuse screening, education and victim service programs. Notes, resources