The Truth Will Always Be The Truth. Even If No One Believes It.
There is a strong correlation between animal cruelty and violence against people. –by Anna Cooke
C
ITING STRONG EVIDENCE LINKING child abuse and animal abuse, House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan (R-District 26, Coventry, Warwick, West Warwick) is
pushing for a mandatory cross-reporting system so that humane societies, child welfare agencies and law enforcement can share information. The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMA) has for some time kept track of which states require cross-reporting of child and animal abuse.
In Florida, a man was charged with aggravated animal cru-
elty after he severely abused the family’s dog. He chased the dog with a rifle, forced her onto the porch, and shot her twice. After he ran out of ammunition, he beat the dog with the rifle, and later with an ax, until she was dead. He was charged with aggra- vated assault and domestic violence toward his live-in girlfriend. Florida does not yet have a law that requires cross-posting
of animal and child abuse between animal health care providers, animal control agencies, child health care providers and child protection agencies. However, most states, including Florida, have separate statutes regarding child abuse reporting and ani- mal abuse reporting. The dog who inspired Utah’s Henry’s Law was tortured by
One of the first studies to address the link between child
abuse and animal abuse, discovered that 88 percent of homes with physically abused children also included abuse or neglect of the family pet (DeViney, Dickert & Lockhart 1983). In a nation- wide study, more than 71 percent of battered women reported that their abusers had harmed, killed or threatened animals, and 32 percent reported that their children harmed or killed animals (Ascione et al, 1997). Children who are exposed to domestic vio- lence are nearly three times more likely to treat animals with cruelty than children who are not exposed to such violence (Currie, 2006). Animal cruelty committed by children is often symptomatic of future abuse toward other animals or people.
CHALLENGE THE ATTITUDE
“Domestic violence can be so easy for people to ignore, as it often happens without any witnesses and it is some- times easier not to get involved. Yet, by publicly speaking out against domestic violence, together we can challenge attitudes towards violence in the home and show that it is a crime, not merely unacceptable.” Honor Blackman.
34 THE NEW BARKER
a man who was jealous of his wife’s pet. Rhonda Kamper wasn’t aware of the dog abuse her Chihuahua was enduring while she was at work. If Henry was in her lap when the cou- ple was sitting on the couch, it was an issue. If she took the dog for a walk, it was an issue. “I’d ask him to come walk with us, but he wouldn't,” said Kamper. Increasingly suspicious, she warned her husband that if anything happened to Henry, their marriage was over. “You love that dog more than me,” her hus- band responded. One day, she came home to find the dog injured with burns. After pressing her husband for an answer, he told her the dog had been placed in the oven. “I saw a side of my husband I had never seen before,” said Kamper. By the weekend, she had left. Examples like these two are endless and horrifying, illustrat-
ing a direct link between animal cruelty and violence against people. While awareness of the correlation between domestic violence and animal cruelty continues to grow, only a fraction of shelters for domestic abuse victims allow pets. This means that the victim often remains in a dangerous situation rather than leave a companion pet - sometimes the only comfort that they have had during their abuse.
PAWS - PETS AND WOMEN’S SHELTERS
The Humane Society of the United States has proposed the PAWS Act (S.322/H.R.909). Under the bill, federal domestic violence protections would include threats and violence against pets. In addition, the bill would extend grant funding to domestic-violence shel- ters to provide pet housing and include veterinary costs in restitution payments.
REDROVER RELIEF CAN HELP
RedRover Relief grants help domestic violence victims and their pets escape abusive situations together. To find a domestic violence shelter in Florida that accepts pets, visit RedRover Relief’s
website:
SafePlaceForPets.org. For information on grants, email
info@RedRover.org or call 916.429.2457.
www.TheNewBarker.com
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