From the Humane Society of the United States
- 85 percent of battered women in shelters report abuse to the family pets
- 89 percent of children in shelters reported abuse to the family pets
Why do batterers threaten, abuse, or kill animals?
- To demonstrate and confirm power and control over the family.
- To isolate the victim and children.
- To eliminate competition for attention.
- To force the family to keep violence a secret.
- To teach submission.
- To retaliate for acts of independence and self-determination.
- To perpetuate the context of terror.
- To prevent the victim from leaving or coerce her/him to return.
- To punish the victim for leaving.
- To degrade the victim through involvement in the abuse.
Why should we recognize animal abuse as a form of battering?
- Animal abuse exposes the deliberateness of battering rather than loss of control.
- Animal abuse and child abuse are closely related.
- Animal abuse is often a tool used by batterers to emotionally control or coerce victims.
- Threatening, injuring, or killing animals can indicate the potential for increased violence or lethality.
- Victims may postpone leaving out of fear for their pets' safety.
- Identifying animal abusers can help identify other victims of violence within the family.
How domestic-violence victims can protect their pets:
- Develop an emergency plan for sheltering the pets.
- Establish ownership of the pets: Obtain an animal license, proof of vaccinations or veterinary receipts in their name to help prove who owns the pets.
- Prepare the pets for departure -- collect vaccination and medical records, collar and identification, medication, bowls, bedding, etc.
- Ask for assistance from law enforcement or animal care and control officers to reclaim the pets if left behind.
How authorities can help families struggling with domestic violence and animal abuse:
- Develop cross-training and cross-reporting among animal welfare, domestic violence, child abuse and other related agencies.
- Add questions about animal cruelty to intake forms.
Source: The Humane Society of the United States and a 1997 report by Utah State University
Recent News to Note:
Few Resources Protect Inland Pets Caught Up in Domestic
Violence
Every time the little boy tried to stop his father from hurting his mother, his kitten would suffer. The boy's father would pound the kitten's claws with a hammer.
The father was eventually prosecuted for abuse. And a tearful Los Angeles
County prosecutor found himself standing helplessly in the lobby of an animal
shelter, holding a kitten with mangled paws, said Madeline Bernstein,
president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los
Angeles.
From that experience was born Animal Safety Net, one of few safe-house
programs for animals caught in the web of domestic violence.
Full story.
