The Connection Between Animal Cruelty and Human Abuse

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The Connection Between Animal Cruelty and Human
Abuse
Its a community problem Indiana Coalition
Against Sexual Assault
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The Connection

• What is Animal Cruelty
• Animal cruelty encompasses a range of behaviors
  harmful to animals, from neglect to malicious
  killing. Most cruelty investigated by humane
  officers is unintentional neglect that can be
  resolved through education. Intentional cruelty,
  or abuse, is knowingly depriving an animal of
  food, water, shelter, socialization, or
  veterinary care or maliciously torturing,
  maiming, mutilating, or killing an animal.

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Animal Abuse

• Neglect
• Physical Violence
• Neglect
• Emotional or Verbal Abuse
• Sexual Abuse or Assault
• Death

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• Violence breeds violence.
• The correlation between animal cruelty and child
  abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse, youth
  violence and criminal behavior is significant.
• DeViney, Dickert and Lockwood studied 53 families
  that met New Jersey state criteria for child
  abuse and who had pets in their homes. Their
  results revealed that the occurrence of animal
  abuse was 88 percent higher in families where
  physical child abuse was present than in those
  families with other forms of child abuse.

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Who are they?

• Murderers ... very often start out by killing
  and torturing animals as kids.
• Robert K. Ressler, who developed profiles of
  serial killers for the Federal Bureau of
• Investigation (FBI)
• Acts of cruelty toward animals they can be the
  first sign of a violent pathology that includes
  human victims.

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Name that Perp

• Enjoyed torturing animals, impaling frogs and
  cats.
• Beheaded dogs to practice his craft.
• Served in the US Army as a Combat medic/orderly
  until being medically discharged
• As an adult, he graduated to killing and
  dismembering at least 17 people, freezing their
  body parts and eating them.
• Used acid-baths to destroy the remains or his
  victims.

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Jeffrey Dahmer
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Name that Perp

• Stealing started with small things at work and
  school to shoplifting and burglary.
• He was once shy and introverted and then changed
  to be a more dominant person.
• Thought to have killed over 100 women in years of
  random murder sprees, enjoyed killing animals as
  a child
• Had a fairly average childhood, did well in
  school and incurred no documented abuse. 
• While interviewing a defending witness Carole Ann
  Boone, they exchanged vows. The two were
  considered officially married, due to Florida
  laws stating that a verbal promise made under
  oath was enough to "seal the agreement".
• Served as his own defense attorney.

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Ted Bundy
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•     A  1985 study found that a child who learns
  aggression against living creatures is more
  likely to  rape, abuse, and kill other humans as
  an adult.
•      In a 1983 study, 88 of families where
  physical abuse occurred, animals in that home
  were also abused.  In about two thirds of the
  cases, the abusive parent had killed or injured
  the animals to discipline a child.
•      A 1988 study of twenty eight
  rapist-murderers found that 36 percent had
  engaged in acts of animal cruelty in childhood,
  and 46 percent during adolescence.
•      In a study of prison inmates, 48 percent of
  the rapists and 30 percent of the child molesters
  admitted to having been cruel to animals.

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Name that Perp

• Known by neighbors for killing local pets.
• He claimed a demon transmitted orders through
  his neighbor's dog, instructing him to commit
  murder.
• New Yorks most notorious serial killer
• AKA Son of Sam

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David Berkowitz
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Name that Perp

• Targeted universities and the airline industry.
• He wrote a manifesto that he distributed to the
  media, in which he claimed he wanted society to
  return to a time when technology was not a threat
  to its future, asserting that "the Industrial
  Revolution and its consequences have been a
  disaster for the human race.
• History of abusing cats
• AKA Unabomber

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Ted Kaczynski
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Adult Offenders

• While not everyone who abuses animals will
  become a serial killer, virtually every serial
  killer first abused animals ... Randall
  Lockwood, vice president, Humane Society of the
  United States

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Pet Abuse and Family Violence

• Women seeking safety at domestic violence
  shelters are nearly 11 times more likely to
  report that their partner has hurt or killed pets
  than women who have not experienced domestic
  violence. 6 
•  A batterer may threaten a pet in order to compel
  a partner to commit a crime. 
• Between 18 percent and 48 percent of battered
  women delay leaving abusive situations out of
  fear for the safety of their animals. 7 
• In a study of battered women in several
  northeastern states,
• 48 percent of respondents reported that animal
  abuse had occurred "often" during the past 12
  months.
• 30 percent reported the abuse occurred "almost
  always."
• 51 percent reported that animal abuse incidents
  coincided with violent outbursts against human
  family members. 8
•  A 1997 survey of domestic violence situations
  found
• 85 percent of the 50 largest shelters for
  battered women in the United States said clients
  discussed incidence of pet abuse in the family. 
• Overall, 71 percent of women and 63 percent of
  children entering the shelters reported that
  animals had been the target of violence. 9
• A "gold standard" study conducted between 1994
  and 2000 found that pet abuse is one of four risk
  factors for intimate partner violence. 10
• Pet abuse is listed as a form of intimidation in
  the "power and control wheel," a landmark chart
  developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention
  Project, the first multi-disciplinary program
  designed to address the issue of domestic
  violence. 11
• Threats of harm to family pets may be used to
  coerce women who are battered into committing
  illegal acts at the behest of the batterer. 12
• A survey of 1,283 female pet owners found that
  domestic batterers who abuse pets use more forms
  of violence and demonstrate greater use of
  controlling behaviors over human victims than
  batterers who do not abuse their pets. 13
• A Texas study found that batterers who harm
  animals are more dangerous and more violent than
  batterers who do not abuse animals. 14
• Thirty-two percent of battered women report their
  children had hurt or killed animals. 15
• Children exposed to domestic violence are three
  times more likely to be cruel to animals than
  children living in nonviolent households. 16
• Approximately 60 of college students who
  witnessed or perpetrated animal cruelty as
  children also reported experiences with child
  maltreatment or domestic violence. 17

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Video Clip in Elevator
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Why do abusers threaten, harm or kill animals?

• To create an environment which intimidates and
  terrorizes their victims
• To demonstrate power over the family
• To use the pet as a warning to family members
  that Next time it could be you
• To punish victims for acts of independence and
  self-determination such as leaving
• To prevent the victim from leaving or coerce her
  to return by threatening the pets well being
• To degrade the victim and/or shift the
  responsibility of abuse through involvement in
  abuse
• To force the family to keep violence a secret
• To eliminate competition for attention

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•      Outside Atlanta in 1998, Mark Barton shot
  his eight year old daughter's kitten and then
  pretended to lead her on a search for  the dead
  pet.  a few months later, in July 1999, he went
  on a shooting rampage in Atlanta, killing 13
  people, including himself, and wounding 13
  others.  Barton, who had bludgeoned his wife and
  two young children to death, killed himself in
  his van

Guillermo Lerma of Edinburg, Texas, who is
serving a life sentence for killing his
girlfriends 2-year-old daughter, decapitated a
live puppy in front of a different girlfriends
children, warning that he would decapitate them
as well if they told their mother.
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Family Violence Continued

• Stephen Williams, of LaGrange, Ga.,
• was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals,
  first degree child cruelty, and aggravated
  assault after allegedly hacking to death his
  wifes puppy with an ax and threatening to
  decapitate her with the same weaponall in front
  of three horrified children.

After Melissa Davis of Ocala, Fla., moved out
because her husband repeatedly beat her, he found
her and threatened to kill her dogs unless
she came home. Davis refused and was presented
with the head of her 4- month-old puppy later
that day.
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Victims
For 13 years, the husband of Sandra Ruotolo of
Pennsylvania battered her. The last time, he took
a break from beating her with a vacuum cleaner
cord and punched Ruotolos dog in the face,
warning her that if she left him, he would find
her and slit her four dogs throats in front of
her. After contemplating suicide, Ruotolo looked
at her dog and thought, If I die, Duchess,
whats going to happen to you? and shot her
husband to death instead.

• A dead dog in a dumpster led to finding a
  neglected 90-year-old woman whimpering in a
  closet.
• Abusive family members abuse elders pets for
  complex reasons. Perpetrators may abuse or
  neglect the elders pet as a form of retaliation
  or control, a way to obtain the elders financial
  assets, or as an act of frustration over their
  caretaking responsibilities.

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• Sexually-abused children are five times more
  likely to abuse animals than children who are not
  sexually abused.1 
• Twenty percent of children who sexually abuse
  other children also have histories of sexually
  abusing animals.2 
• Up to 37 percent of sexually violent juvenile
  offenders have a history of animal sexual
  assault.3 
• The FBI found high rates of sexual assault of
  animals in the backgrounds of serial sexual
  homicide perpetrators.4
• In an Australian study, 100 percent of people who
  committed sexual homicide had abused animals, and
  61.5 percent of animal abusers also had assaulted
  a human.5
• Those convicted of committing crimes against
  people on one or more occasions were more likely
  to have had sex with animals during their
  childhood or adolescence than other
  respondents.6
• Of juveniles who engage in sex with animals, 96
  percent also admit to sex offenses against humans
  and reported more offenses against humans than
  other sex offenders their same age and race.7

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• Why is it important to address animal cruelty by
  children?
• Children who are allowed to harm animals without
  penalty are more likely to commit violent acts
  later in life. Children who abuse animals are
  more likely to be involved in bullying,
  vandalism, and more serious crimes.

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Juvenile Offenders

• A 13-year-old Augusta, Ga., boy
• a month after allegedly stabbing a classmate in
  the back and threatening to kill a bus
  driverreportedly stomped a kitten to death.
  Neighbors claimed to see the child twisting his
  foot into the kitten as if he were grinding a
  cigarette out.

Three New Jersey teens reportedly stoned a goose
to death andusing a rake and shovelfatally
bludgeoned eight large exotic birds at a local
zoo. The suspects were also suspected of arson,
painting swastikas on an area business, and
shattering a churchs windows
At age 13, Gary Long Jr. of South Dakota
allegedly encouraged a dog to fatally maul a
kitten for his own amusement. Within two years,
he shattered a beer bottle on an
8-yearold childs head and raped and killed a
31-year-old woman.
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Juvenile Offenders

• Criminologist Jose Sanchez reports, "the young
  criminal you see today is more detached from his
  victim, more ready to hurt or kill . . . The lack
  of empathy for their victims among young
  criminals is just one symptom of a problem that
  afflicts the whole society."

     In May 1999, in Conyers, Georgia, Anthony
"T.J." Solomon went on a shooting rampage at
Heritage high school, injuring 6 students.  His
psychologist testified on his behalf that he was
a troubled youth, and, "When he shot animals with
guns, he loved to look into their eyes and watch
them die and wonder what it was like on the other
side."
     In October 1997, in Pearl, Mississippi, Luke
Woodham, 16, stabbed to death his mother and then
went on to his school, where he shot and killed
two students and wounded 7 others.  He had
earlier written in his journal of the "true
beauty" of beating, torturing and killing his
dog, Sparkle.
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Juveniles
April 1999/Littleton, Colo. Eric Harris and Dylan
Klebold shot to death 12 fellow students and a
teacher and injured more than 20 others. Both had
reportedly boasted about mutilating animals. May
1998/Springfield, Ore. Kip Kinkel, 15, killed his
parents and opened fire in his school cafeteria,
killing two and injuring 22 others. He had a
history of animal abuse and torture, having
boasted about killing animals by putting lit
firecrackers in their mouths. March
1998/Jonesboro, Ark. Mitchell Johnson, 13, and
Andrew Golden, 11, pulled their schools fire
alarm and then shot and killed four classmates
and a teacher. Golden reportedly used to shoot
dogs all the time with a .22. December
1997/West Paducah, Ky. Michael Carneal, 14, shot
and killed three classmates during a prayer
meeting. Carneal had been heard talking about
throwing a cat into a bonfire. October
1997/Pearl, Miss. Luke Woodham, 16, shot and
killed two classmates and injured seven others
after stabbing his mother to death.
Woodhams journal revealed that he had beaten,
burned, and tortured his own dog, Sparkle, to
death.
One of the most dangerous things that can happen
to a child is to kill or torture an animal
and get away with it. Margaret
Mead, Anthropologist
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Infamous Juvenile Offenders

•      In April 1999, Littleton, Colorado, Eric
  Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, brought guns
  and bombs into Columbine High School.  There,
  they killed a dozen of their fellow students and
  one teacher before killing themselves.   These
  youngsters had often spoken of mutilating
  animals, and Klebold enjoyed shooting woodpeckers.

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General Risk Indicators

• History of Domestic Violence
• ? Used severe violence, with injuries requiring
  medical treatment
• ? Used strangulation
• ? Used or threatened to use a weapon
• ? Threatened to kill his partner/ex-partner
• ? Was violent when partner was pregnant
• ? Used sexual violence, such as rape
• ? Assaulted children and/or other family members
  
• ? Violence is becoming more frequent
• ? Violence is becoming more severe.
• General Mental State
• ? A feeling of nothing else to lose the what the
  hell? factor
• ? High levels of anger and hostility
• ? High levels of hostility, in particular towards
  a partner or ex partner
• ? Depression
• ? Suicidal Depression
• ? Generally low mental functioning

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• These risk factors include
• - discrepant histories owners unwilling or
  unable to explain how injuries occurred vague or
  implausible explanations for injuries account of
  accident does not fit the injury family members
  relate different histories owner showing a lack
  of concern for animal- client utilizes several
  hospitals in attempt to evade detection-
  multiple fractures of different ages in same
  animal- injuries to multiple animals in
  household- repetitive history of accidents,
  deaths or turnovers in household- personal
  awareness of violence in the household- age as a
  risk factor dogs and cats under 2 years of age
  are at greater risk- breed as a risk factor pit
  bulls and related breeds are at greater risk-
  gender as a risk factor male dogs are at greater
  risk than female dogs no gender-specificity for
  cats overwhelmingly, human perpetrators of
  violence are males- low socioeconomic status and
  substance abuse may be risk factors- animal
  exhibits unusual behavioral signs- Munchausen
  Syndrome by Proxy
• The British veterinary pharmaceutical firm
  Intervet UK (2003), borrowing from ideas
  presented by Munro Thrusfield (2001a-d) and
  Arkow (2003), has recently published guidelines
  to sensitize veterinarians to conditions that are
  highly suggestive of animal abuse. These include
• - Animal welfare concerns (poor physical
  condition absence of food abandonment collar
  too tight lack of medical care dehydration
  excessive hair matting parasitic infestation)-
  Environmental concerns (general lack of
  sanitation overcrowding presence of dead
  animals inadequate ventilation/lighting
  excessive numbers of animals presence of
  feces/urine)- Human welfare concerns (owner
  unable to afford human or animal food owner
  lives in isolation evidence of animal fighting,
  bestiality or ritualistic sacrifice)- Physical
  injuries to animal (bruising fractures
  repetitive injuries lesions burns or scalds
  ocular injuries internal injuries
  administration of recreational drugs poison
  gunshot wounds malnutrition drowning
  asphyxiation untreated diseases)- Sexual abuse
• Veterinarians should be aware of the possibility
  that a patient presented with traumatic injuries,
  malnutrition or other maltreatment could be the
  victim of abuse or neglect. They should regard
  these suspicions seriously out of concern for the
  welfare of not only the patient, but also of
  other animals in the household and the public
  health of the community.

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The Assessment Framework
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Reporting

• Often victims are reluctant to talk about abuse
  to themselves but may be more comfortable talking
  about abuse to their pets, which can lead into
  talking about their own abuse

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Risk Assessment

• Learn to identify the risk factors to evaluate if
  an animal abuser is at risk of committing
  violence against people in the future.
• It is important to recognize the correlation
  between domestic violence and animal abuse as
  service providers when evaluating, and as
  individuals experiencing abuse.
• Message to victims - If your partner has harmed
  your pet consider filing a report with the Humane
  Society/SPCA or the police. It will help you in
  the future if it comes to the point where you
  need to put a case to file for a restraining
  order to protect yourself and your children.
• Animal related factors to consider
• Number of victims
• Severity of injury
• Repetition of individuals victims
• Several animals injured in the same
  instance or infliction of
• multiple wounds suggest greater
  potential for violence

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Signs of Abuse

• It is important to recognize that animal abuse is
  a sign of domestic abuse.
• Recognize that abusers harm and threaten pets to
  intimidate and control their victims.
• If someone kicks, punches, throws or hurts an
  animal they have demonstrated that they are
  capable of violence.
• If they have harmed or threatened a pet the
  family may be in danger and should consider
  leaving.
• Using animal violence as an indicator can help a
  woman escape violence earlier on.

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Where to Learn More

• Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
• The First Strike campaign was created in 1997 to
  raise public and professional awareness about the
  connection between animal cruelty and other
  violent crime. The campaign works with local
  animal protection agencies around the United
  States to promote inter-agency collaborations to
  reduce animal cruelty, family and community
  violence. First Strike also provides
  investigative support, rewards, expert testimony
  and information on the animal-human cruelty
  connection to law enforcement and works jointly
  with legislators and activists throughout the
  United States to press for the passage of
  well-enforced, felony level anti-cruelty laws.
• Web Address
• http//www.hsus.org/hsus_field/first_strike_the_co
  nnection_between_animal_cruelty_and_human_violence
  /