The Link Between Animal Abuse And Family Violence
This fact sheet on the relationship between animal abuse and family violence summarizes research that generally finds a positive correlation between the two. When animals in a home are abused or neglected, it is a warning sign that others in the household may not be safe either.
Various Research Findings:
- Animals were abused in 88% of homes where physical child abuse was present (1983).
- 71% of abused women seeking shelter at a safe house noted that their partner had threatened, hurt, or killed their companion animals and 32% of mothers reported that their children had hurt or killed their companion animals
- (1998).
- Violent offenders incarcerated in a maximum security prison were more likely than nonviolent offenders to have committed childhood acts of cruelty toward companion animals (2001).
Current Actions to Prevent Violence:
- Felony level penalties for animal cruelty are now in place in nearly all states.
- Some states require veterinarians to report animal abuse.
- Some states require animal control officers to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
- A few states permit child and adult protection workers to report suspected animal abuse; the workers are trained in identifying these issues.
- Nearly half of all states call for psychological counseling for individuals convicted of animal cruelty.