Below are articles taken from various internet sites. They contain all the reasoning you will ever need to expose and do something about animal abuse. Read these articles by various doctors, universities, and the FBI. "Murderers ... very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids"
On the bottom of this page are more links and books related to animal abuse. Please feel free to recommend anything related to this topic. Including Books. E-mail me below.
Violent acts toward animals have long been recognized as indicators of a dangerous psychopathy that does not confine itself to animals. “Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives,” wrote humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer. “Murderers ... very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids,” according to Robert K. Ressler, who developed profiles of serial killers for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Studies have now convinced sociologists, lawmakers, and the courts that acts of cruelty toward animals deserve our attention. They can be the first sign of a violent pathology that includes human victims.
Animal abuse is not just the result of a minor personality flaw in the abuser but rather a symptom of a deep mental disturbance. Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty toward animals don’t stop there; many of them move on to their fellow humans.
The FBI has found that a history of cruelty to animals is one of the traits that regularly appear in its computer records of serial rapists and murderers, and the standard diagnostic and treatment manual for psychiatric and emotional disorders lists cruelty to animals as a diagnostic criterion for conduct disorders.
A study conducted by Northeastern University and the Massachusetts SPCA found that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against humans. The majority of inmates scheduled to be executed for murder at California’s San Quentin penitentiary “practiced” their crimes on animals, according to the warden.
• As a child, serial killer and rapist Ted Bundy—ultimately convicted of two killings but suspected of murdering more than 40 women—witnessed his father’s violence toward animals, and he himself subsequently tortured animals.
• Earl Kenneth Shriner, who raped and stabbed a 7-year-old boy, was known in his neighborhood for hanging cats and torturing dogs.
• David Berkowitz (a.k.a. “Son of Sam”), who pleaded guilty to 13 murder and attempted murder charges, shot a neighbor’s Labrador retriever.
• Brenda Spencer, who opened fire at a California school, killing two children and injuring nine others, had repeatedly abused cats and dogs, often setting their tails on fire.
• Serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer impaled the heads of dogs and cats on sticks.
Taken From; http://www.helpinganimals.com/a-abuse.html
Animal Abuse: The Start of Some Things Bad
By Neal D. Barnard, M.D., and A.R. Hogan
This updated op-ed originally moved over the Knight-Ridder Tribune wire service and ran in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Winston-Salem Journal, the Salt Lake City Deseret News, and several other newspapers in June 1999.
In early February 2001, authorities charged two teenage boys with using a golf club to kill a companion llama named Monopoly, and to severely injure another, Willie Wonka. The horrible cruelty perpetrated against those llamas in the west-central Florida community of East Lake fit a disturbing pattern, one always warranting serious community attention.
A half-century ago, a boy put cats and dogs into orange crates and then shot arrows through the slats, injuring or killing the animals inside. Few people knew his name, Albert DeSalvo. When he grew up, he was better known as the Boston Strangler, as he killed 13 women and terrorized uncounted more during an early-1960s eastern Massachusetts rape and murder spree.
Serial killer and rapist Ted Bundy, who was convicted of or claimed responsibility for at least 30 murders in Florida and four other states, gave a similar warning sign. He tortured animals as a teenager before his 1970s crime spree.
Jeffrey Dahmer, himself murdered in prison in 1994, killed and in some cases cannibalized at least 17 people in the Midwest. As a boy, he had strangled neighborhood cats and dogs, nailed frogs to trees, cut open live fish to see their insides, and had been avidly fascinated by both in-school dissections and after-school "road kill" dissections.
The horrible specifics vary. But a rogues' gallery of other infamous serial killers, from David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz to Charles "Helter Skelter" Manson to Henry Lee Lucas, generally have comparable biographies with respect to the animal abuse-human violence connection.
The bizarre school shootings between 1997 and 2001—datelined Pearl, Miss.; West Paducah, Ky.; Jonesboro, Ark.; Springfield, Ore.; Littleton, Colo.; Conyers, Ga.; and San Diego—also fit into a similar mold. Previous to their headline-grabbing gunfire, the boys involved had, variously, boasted about shooting dogs with a .22-caliber rifle, throwing a cat into a bonfire, torturing a dog to death, and blowing up a cow, squirrels, and cats, among other outrages.
For decades, law enforcement officers and psychiatrists have noted a consistent pattern: violent criminals "start out" by tormenting, maiming, and killing companion animals, wild animals, or farmed animals. As FBI Special Agent Alan C. Brantly testified to a U.S. House panel in May 1998, "Some offenders kill animals as a rehearsal for targeting human victims and may kill or torture animals because, to them, the animals symbolically represent people." The FBI has recognized the link since the 1970s, when agents analyzed in detail the life histories of various imprisoned serial killers, searching for patterns.
This critical warning sign can help us avert another Littleton massacre. Unfortunately, parents, schools, and even law enforcement officers often overlook it until it is too late. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders only recently listed animal cruelty as a key symptom of "conduct disorder." Many mental health professionals are just now becoming more fully aware of such stark facts.
Not every case makes front-page headlines. The animal abuse-human violence link occurs in many lower-profile variations: single homicides, spouse abuse, child abuse, elder abuse, and other mayhem. A 1980 English review of the animal-cruelty case histories of 23 families found child abuse or neglect has also taken place in more than four out of five of those families. A 1983 New Jersey study of 57 families echoed those findings.
It is time to put this knowledge to work before another tragedy occurs. Encouragingly, a recent American Psychological Association poll found that 71 percent of young people expressed a desire to learn about such warning signs. After all, most children naturally feel kindly toward animals, an attitude that all-too-often gets discarded along the way as "overly sentimental."
We should be doing whatever possible to instill compassionate values and the ability to empathize with others. For kids, that means animals. Here are some ideas:
Humane education programs for public, private, parochial, and home-schooled students must be made a priority, beginning even at the pre-school level, by federal, state, and local officials. These programs do more than teach children to inhibit aggression. They help point out those who cannot.
Counseling sessions should be required for prospective companion-animal adopters, to screen out potentially abusive homes.
Animal cruelty must be taken as a serious crime, and a sign of things to come. Yet it has felony status in only 31 states and is often neglected by prosecutors who are busy cleaning up the human abuse that follows.
Extended counseling must be mandatory for anyone convicted of animal cruelty, as it now is California. Fourteen other states let courts order psychiatric counseling or anger management for animal cruelty.
If such steps get taken, the societal benefits would extend far beyond an improved lot for our animal friends. The sooner we start, the better chance we have of averting more tragedies.
Psychiatrist Neal D. Barnard, M.D., founded the Washington, D.C.-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in 1985. A.R. Hogan is a Hyattsville, Maryland-based science and health writer.
Taken From; http://www.pcrm.org/issues/Commentary/commentary0105.html
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 286 -- UNDERSTANDING THE LINK BETWEEN ANIMAL ABUSE AND HUMAN VIOLENCE
Statement in the Congressional Record -- June 4, 1998
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the strong link between violence against animals and violence against people, and to call to the attention of my colleagues House Concurrent Resolution 286 which urges greater attention to identifying and treating individuals who are guilty of violence against animals because of the link between abuse of animals and violence against humans. The resolution also calls for additional research to increase our understanding of the connection between cruelty to animals and violence against humans.
After the recent school shootings in Arkansas and Oregon, heavy attention has been paid to the early signs of the potential for children to commit violent crime. It is no coincidence that the accused in these two tragic cases are juveniles with disturbing histories of animal cruelty and abuse.
Mr. Speaker, it is common sense knowledge that any individual who harms animals cruelly and deliberately is not otherwise well-adjusted. Mr. Speaker, the FBI already lists violence against animals as a behavioral trait and characteristic of violent offenders. Almost all serial killers are known to have abused animals. Indeed, cruelty towards animals is often a sign of mental disturbance in both children and adults.
Teachers, principals, parents, and law enforcement officers must all be encouraged to recognize this connection and to take incidences of animal cruelty seriously. An abused animal is often a sign that a spouse, a child, or an elder in the household is or may become the victim of aggression and abuse. A pet may be a surrogate target of violence. Abuse of a household pet often fuels violent tendencies that are a precursor to acts of violence against family members and others.
Violence against animals co-exists with and precedes violent crimes, especially crimes of domestic violence. The federal government must not overlook this correlation. By studying this link, we can increase awareness and understanding of violent crime and the potential violent crimes in our homes, in our schools, and in our communities.
Furthermore, we must reject the notion that violence against animals is simply normal societal behavior. If we treat cruelty to animals with a dismissive "boys will be boys," we may well be ignoring critical initial signs that may lead to violent behavior and we may be passing up an opportunity to take action to prevent a future tragedy. By allowing children and adults to abuse animals without sanction,
Mr. Speaker, we are ignoring an important tool in the fight against domestic violence and an important tool in helping to prevent other tragic acts of violence such as those we have seen in Arkansas and Oregon. Mr. Speaker, the legislation I have introduced today with the
cosponsor ship of thirteen of our colleagues expresses the sense of Congress that appropriate Federal agencies thoroughly support and incorporate research on the connection between acts of cruelty against animals and humans. Furthermore, it recognizes the validity and significance of this link.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in encouraging research and awareness about this disturbing connection between violence against animals and violence against people. I ask that the full text of this resolution be placed in THE RECORD.
H. Con. Res. 286
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the link between violence against animals and violence against humans and urging greater emphasis upon identifying and treating individuals who are guilty of violence against animals, which is a crime in its own right in all 50 states, in order to prevent violence against humans and urging research to increase understanding of the connection between cruelty to animals and violence against humans.
Whereas an urgent need exists to prevent violence, especially among juvenile offenders and in domestic situations;
Whereas a strong correlation between animal abuse and violence against humans has been documented by criminal profiling experts associated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who have identified cruelty to animals as one of the three traits often found in the "homicidal triad" which indicates the characteristics of a violent personality;
Whereas a disproportionately high number of violent killers in the prison system admit to having abused animals, and virtually every serial killer and many violent killers have a history of abusing animals;
Whereas many of the recent cases of school violence have involved students with a history of animal abuse;
Whereas individuals who deliberately abuse animals are more likely to abuse their spouse and their children or otherwise be involved in violent crimes;
Whereas some experts believe that abusing animals may increase or fuel the desire to commit violence against humans in certain disturbed individuals;
Whereas animal cruelty is violence and should be recognized as such when assessing an individual's propensity to commit future acts of violent crime;
Whereas intentional animal abuse is an early warning signal that individuals, including young people, could perpetrate violent crimes against other individuals; and
Whereas laws against cruelty to animals have been enacted in all 50 states and provide penalties for the purposeful torture and killing of animals, and the enforcement of these animal abuse laws provide law enforcement officials with an opportunity to bring potentially violent offenders into the criminal justice system before they commit more serious crimes against humans;
Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the Congress --
(1) recognizes that individuals who abuse animals are more likely to commit more serious violent crimes against humans;
(2) urges social workers, teachers, mental health professionals, and others to be aware of the connection between animal cruelty and human violence and to evaluate carefully and to monitor closely individuals who have a history of abusing animals because this may indicate a propensity to commit violence against other humans;
(3) urges appropriate Federal agencies to encourage and support research to increase the understanding of the connection between cruelty to animals and violence against humans in order to utilize instances of animal abuse to identify and intervene with potentially violent individuals, and urges federal agencies which are undertaking research on violent crime and its causes to incorporate examination of the link between violence against animals and violence against humans;
(4) urges local law enforcement officials to treat cases of animal cruelty seriously both because such cruelty is a crime in its own right in all 50 states and because it is a reliable indicator of the potential for domestic and other forms of violence against humans; and
(5) commends the fine work of local animal control officials and humane investigators who enforce laws against animal abuse and urges these professionals to work more closely with local law enforcement personnel to identify and prevent potential violence against humans.
Taken From; http://www.house.gov/lantos/html_files/welfare_animals_286.html
What We Know About the
Link Between Animal Abuse
and Human Violence
by Mary Lou Randour, Ph.D.
Because of the success of many animal advocacy groups, including the two that I represent — Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Doris Day Animal Foundation — many professionals from a variety of disciplines as well as the general public have become aware of the link between animal abuse and human violence. The FBI’s investigation into the childhood of serial killers, and their discovery of juvenile animal abuse in most of these cases, drew the public’s attention to this link initially. When I make presentations to various audiences — whether educators, mental health professionals, police, prosecutors, domestic violence advocates, child protection workers, or animal control officers — most know that serials killers started their grisly careers by torturing and killing animals.
Less well known is the fact that many of the recent school shooters also engaged in animal cruelty before turning their aggression against their classmates, teachers, and parents. Kip Kinkel was reported to have blown up cows and decapitated cats; Luke Woodham tortured Sparkle, his own dog, to death, describing her dying howls as a "thing of beauty"; and Andrew Golden reputedly shot dogs with a .22 caliber rifle. Golden’s own dog "mysteriously" suffered a wound from a .22 just days before he assaulted his classmates.
Serial killers and school shooters supply dramatic currency to the link between animal abuse and human violence. Their lurid nature attracts the attention of individuals and the media and, in this way, can furnish an opening for a serious discussion of the many permutations and implications of this important link. I think it is a tactical and strategic mistake, however, for animal advocates to focus on this part of the link; it is good for an opener, but we should quickly move on to the more substantive evidence, which will have more far-reaching implications.
While many of us can be momentarily drawn to the macabre very few, if
any of us, think that our sons, daughters, nieces and nephews, or next door neighbors are budding serial killers or school shooters. Let’s face it: The odds of a child becoming a serial killer or school gunman are quite remote. Very few people can identify with that prospect and, I believe, that leads to the possibility of them dismissing, or overlooking, evidence of animal cruelty that they might otherwise notice. Sure, their nephew has been known to throw rocks at neighborhood cats, but they know he is a "good kid" who goes to church, does well at school, and has won badges in his Cub Scout troop. What’s to worry about? He’s definitely not serial killer or school shooter material.
If we should emphasize the empirical basis for the link instead of the more dramatic examples, what exactly do we know? What does the research say about animal abuse? Who commits it? How do they turn out? What should we be looking for?
One body of well-established research links animal abuse with criminal behavior. For example, one well-designed study conducted by Arnold Arluke and Jack Levin, two sociologists, and Carter Luke of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), examined the records of that agency for the years 1975 to 1996. They identified 153 men who had been prosecuted for animal cruelty and compared their criminal records to a group of "next door neighbors" — men who were similar in age, ethnic background, neighborhood, and economic status. Their findings were convincing: men who abused animals were five times more likely to have been arrested for violence against humans, four times more likely to have committed property crimes, and three times more likely to have records for drug and disorderly conduct offenses.
Another group of research studies explored the childhood of individuals who were incarcerated or committed to psychiatric hospitals for criminal offenses, comparing them to "normal" men. Would the childhood of the men in prison and psychiatric hospitals for criminal behavior reveal more juvenile animal cruelty when compared to a group of "normal" men? After conducting a number of their own studies, and reviewing the research of their colleagues, Kellert and Felthous arrived at a definitive result. They stated that there was a significant association between acts of cruelty to animals in childhood and serious, recurrent aggression against people as an adult.
As further corroboration, in one study these researchers determined that the most aggressive criminals had committed the most severe acts of animal cruelty in childhood.
One could conclude from these studies that animal abuse is associated with other types of criminal and anti-social behavior and that childhood animal abuse is an important warning sign; not all children who abuse animals become juvenile offenders or adult criminals, but they are more likely than their counterparts who do not abuse animals to do so. Being physically cruel to animals as one of the criterion for a diagnosis of conduct disorder in childhood was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1987. Substantial proportions of children diagnosed with conduct disorder continue to show behaviors in adulthood that meet criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder. The earlier the diagnosis of conduct disorder the greater the risk for being diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder and
Substance-Related in adulthood.
We also know that animal abuse is closely associated with family violence, and knowledge of this link has assisted professionals in offering more effective services to people and animals. In a number of studies — one national and the others statewide — 71 to 83% of the women entering domestic violence shelters reported that their partners also abused or killed the family pet. Just as animal abuse is related to domestic violence, so it is also related to child abuse, another form of family violence. A New Jersey study of 53 families under the jurisdiction of the child welfare agency looked at the co-occurrence of child abuse and animal abuse. Researchers observed animal abuse in 88% of those families in which there was physical abuse of children. Another study arrived at similar findings.
Awareness of the link between animal abuse and family violence has
produced a number of innovative programs and procedural changes. For
example, intake questions for women seeking shelter now include one about the need for a safe place for the family pets. Cooperative arrangements between domestic violence shelters and animal shelters, humane societies, and sometimes veterinary associations provide "safe pet" programs. Animal control officers are being trained to look for signs of child abuse and domestic violence when making their investigations, and to report their suspicions to the proper agencies.
While animal abuse often appears in the context of family violence, and is associated with juvenile delinquency and adult criminality, it is important to remember that many other times the animal abuse offender does not have a juvenile or adult criminal record, does not come from a dysfunctional, violent family; and may appear to be "normal" or "typical." The sad truth is that animal abuse is all too common; the prevalence rates for childhood animal cruelty are shockingly high. There are now three studies of prevalence: one is from a military sample and the other two used college students as subjects.
In the military sample 10% of the males acknowledged committing juvenile animal cruelty and 16% reported that they had witnessed it. In the two college samples, 34.5% of the males admitted to animal abuse in childhood and 48% said they had witnessed it. We don’t know, of course, whether any of the subjects in these three samples had criminal records, although it is doubtful that many had very serious records since they were either in the military or in college. And we don’t know how many came from situations of family violence, but it is doubtful that all could have. Good portions of animal abusers enter adulthood without any marks on their record, although they do appear to have psychological marks.
In one of the studies, the researcher asked his college subjects if they thought it was o.k. to "slap your wife" or to "physically punish your children." Those students who had abused animals as children were much more likely to endorse these forms of interpersonal violence.
We need a lot more information about the extent of animal abuse, the motivation for it, and how to intervene effectively. And we need to accurately convey what the research tells us to date and not to emphasize one category of animal abuse findings over another. We need to continue to warn students, parents, teachers, counselors, and other community groups that childhood animal abuse is a definite danger sign that should be heeded with a thorough assessment and effective intervention.
We also need to alert these same groups that animal abuse often is associated with child abuse and domestic violence, and to enlarge our investigations to include all members of the family — human and nonhuman. Finally, we need to acknowledge that some childhood animal abusers appear to be "typical kids," so no parent, or teacher, or other professional should be complacent.
Mary Lou Randour is the Program Director of Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
RESOURCES
Beyond Violence: The Human-Animal Connection is a kit that contains both a video and a Discussion Guide. Available from Pscyhologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. [TOP]
Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence: Readings in Research and Application by Randall Lockwood (Editor), Frank R. Ascione (Editor); paperback, 424 pages, Purdue Univ Press; ISBN: 1557531064. [TOP]
Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Animal Abuse: Linking the Circles of Compassion for Prevention and Intervention by Frank Ascione (Editor), Phil Arkow (Editor), paperback, 480 pages, 1999, Purdue University Press, ISBN: 1557531439. [TOP]
Animal Cruelty: Warning Sign for Other Violence [TOP]
House Concurrent Resolution 286, Statement in the Congressional Record, June 4, 1998 by REp. Tom Lantos [TOP]
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Animal Abuse & Human Abuse: Partners in Crime [TOP]
The Shiloh Project [TOP]
The Latham Foundation: Materials for Educators (videos, publications, etc.) [TOP]
Doris Day Animal League: The Violence Connection [TOP]
American Humane Association: The Link National Resource Center [TOP]
Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: The Culture of Violence [TOP]
Center for the Human/Animal Bond: Pet Abuse/Human Abuse [TOP]
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse: The Deadly Connection [TOP]
For a thorough search of the subject on the Internet, visit Google and use the keywords "animal abuse and human violence."
Taken From;http://www.animalsvoice.com/PAGES/invest/randour1.html
Childhood cruelty to animals carries a strong warning of future violence
An Article by Your Guide Franny Syufy
Disclaimer: This article contains links to graphic articles, and in some cases photos of brutally injured animals. Enter at your own discretion.
Children In The News
The headlines proclaim a chilling theme:
Girl Denies Cat Mutilations (Edmonton News)
Teenage Killers Fit Disturbing Pattern (Boston Globe)
Teen to Testify in Cat Killings Online Iowa News)
The common threads in these stories are acts of cruelty toward animals, from mutilation and torture through violent killing. Sadder yet, the suspects are not hardened adult criminals. They are children.
Increased Awareness through the Net
The 90s abounded in such stories, from the burning of a cat named Olivia by college students in 1997, to the disturbing history of the two young men who shot the Columbine students and sent the whole country reeling into shock. Were the 90s any worse in terms of intentional violence toward animals than any other decade of the last century? Probably not. However, our recognition of these horrors has increased exponentially with the explosion of the World Wide Web onto the scene. In no other times have humans so strongly felt the shrinking of the world and the subsequent awareness of events that go on throughout this planet.
The Awful Connection
With our increased awareness, we have also discovered that there is a terribly frightening connection between cruelty toward animals as children and violent crimes toward humans later in life. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has this to say:
Researchers, as well as the FBI and other law enforcement agencies nationwide, have linked animal cruelty to domestic violence, child abuse, serial killings, and to the recent rash of killings by school-age children, according to Dr. Randall Lockwood, vice president of Training Initiatives for The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
It is no secret to us in this age of enlightenment that the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and David Berkowitz all delighted in torturing animals before moving on to human prey. Sadly, many adult serial killers may have also suffered abuse as children.
In a study of 57 families being treated for incidents of child abuse, 88% also abused animals. In two-thirds of the cases, it was the abusive parent who had killed or injured the animals to control a child. In one-third, the children had abused the animals, using them as scapegoats for their anger. (Quoted from The American Humane Association)
In the case of the Columbine shootings, these boys did not even wait until adulthood. They graduated from animal abuse to killing their classmates as teenagers. The same pattern apparently existed among the killings attributed to Kip Kinkel, 15, of Oregon, Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, of Jonesboro Arkansas, and Luke Woodham, 16, of Pearl, Mississipi.
Taken from;http://cats.tqn.com/library/weekly/aa010600a.htm
Why You Must Report Animal Abuse
Animal abuse is common in the US. All of us who know right from wrong know that it is wrong to abuse an animal. It is almost as wrong to allow this to happen unreported.
There are reasons to report animal abuse many are not aware of that they should be. The following contains important information that could save lives, human as well as animal.
The link between animal abuse and human abuse has become ever apparent. So much so, that the FBI now uses reports of animal abuse to help analyze the threat potential of suspected and known violent offenders. According to the FBI, 80% of violent offenders had previous incidents of animal abuse. Studies have also shown the link between animal abuse and child abuse. One study revealed that in 88% of 57 New Jersey families being treated for child abuse, animals in the home had been abused. The abuse was sometimes done by the same family member who abused the family. In some cases it was for the same reason the person abused the family. In other cases the animal abuse was done to intimidate or punish the abused family members. Sadly, some of the animal abuse was done by the child who was abused, as a way to act out their anger and hurt.
Still not convinced that it is absolutely neccesary to report animal abuse? Then read the following.....
Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Carrol Edward Cole, Son of Sam, Albert De Salvo "Boston Strangler", "Happy Face Killer" and Arthur Gary Bishop all had histories of animal abuse.
In an 18 month period there were 7 school shootings, here in the US. Most relating in the deaths of classmates. In all 7 of these shootings it was learned that the perpetraters had previously abused, tortured and killed animals.
taken from;http://www.angelfire.com/md2/mdpetrescu/Abuse.html
Animal Abuse: Early Warning Sign of Future Deadly Acts
Frustrated at society's tendency to treat animal abuse lightly, animal advocates have begun to demand more stringent penalties, more diligent enforcement and tougher sentencing in cruelty cases. For years the FBI has understood that cruelty to animals is the most telling of the so-called "homicidal triad" of predisposing characteristics of serial killers, together with arson and bed-wetting beyond the appropriate age. Yet only lately has psychological profiling been widely trumpeted as a potent tool in hunting serial killers, finally lending credence to activists' demands.
Research performed in the early 1980s by psychiatrist Alan Felthous spotlights a second, equally disturbing correlation to cruelty to animals, which can begin as early as age four; a child's cruelty is often linked to physical abuse by parents.
In his 1992 book, "Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Hunting Serial Killers for the FBI," retired Special Agent Robert K. Ressler writes, "A loop is developed. The...teenager has aberrant fantasies and tries partially to live these out by tentative antisocial acts--the lie that is not found out; the cruelty to an animal, which does not have any ill effects on his own life; the fire that burns brightly; the frightening of a younger child that is not reported." As anthropologist Margaret Mead once noted prophetically, "One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and get away with it."
Albert DeSalvo, the "Boston Strangler," killed 13 women in the early 1960s. As a youth DeSalvo locked pets into orange crates and shot arrows through the boxes.
Edmund Emil Kemper III, who killed his mother and seven other women, admitted during trial that he had abused cats and dogs. Carroll Edward Cole, who was executed in 1985 for five of 35 murders of which he was accused, said his first violent act occurred in childhood when he strangled a puppy.
Ted Bundy, rapist and murderer of perhaps more than 40 women, witnessed his own father brutalize animals and tortured them himself.
Jeffrey Dahmer, the sexually deviant serial killer who occasionally cannibalized his victims, impaled frogs, decapitated dogs and staked cats to trees.
A 1966 study of 84 prison inmates revealed that 75 percent of those charged with violent crimes had an early history of cruelty to animals.
To the frequently expressed opinion that animal abuse is an outlet that prevents violent individuals from acting against people, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Alan Brantley retorts, "This is not a harmless venting of emotion in a healthy individual; this is a warning sign that this individual is not mentally healthy and needs some sort of intervention. Abusing animals does not dissipate those violent emotions; instead, it may fuel them."
The American Psychiatric Association has recently listed animal cruelty as one behavior which signals conduct disorder, symptomatic of a cycle of abuse which, according to the National Research Council, can be broken by early intervention.
In 1997, recognizing the need for a systematic approach to correlate, on a national level, the linked problems of animal abuse, domestic violence and child abuse, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) inaugurated a database to track animal cruelty and human violence.
To further that end, the HSUS offers a highly informative "First Strike Campaign Kit" to help communities, law enforcers, educators, concerned citizens, social service professionals and humane investigators work in concert to identify and correct early anti-social behaviors. Priced at $5, the packet can be obtained by writing to The Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L St., NW, Washington, DC 20037. It is an excellent tool with which animal and child advocates may effect life-saving change.
taken from; http://www.loveallanimals.com/letters/AAEWSFDA.asp
The link between family violence and animal abuse
Cruelty to animals critical warning sign of an abusive family
By Cynthia Lott, Director of Alliance for Animals
Violence doesn't happen in a vacuum. This fact is becoming more obvious to social workers, law enforcement, humane officers, and even FBI agents who all realize that the man who abuses his child starts out by kicking his dog. According to FBI special agent Alan Brantley, "Animal cruelty is not a harmless venting of emotion in a healthy individual. This is a warning sign that this individual needs some sort of intervention." Many researchers are devoting much of their time to studying this violent link: the violence towards animals and humans, namely animal abuse, child abuse and domestic violence.
According to the findings of most of these researchers, animal cruelty may be the only visible sign of an abusive family. While child and spousal abuse might occur behind closed doors, animal abuse is more often committed in the open. A number of national animal protection organizations have made this link one of their top priorities. For example, the American Humane Association has formed a "Campaign Against Violence" and the Humane Society of the United States has formed a "First Strike Campaign" aimed at helping grassroots groups form coalitions to help prevent these forms of violence. Simply put, animal abuse must be examined more seriously and as a mirror to the inside world of the abuser and his or her human victims. Where you have one, you will usually have the other.
Animals living in violent households become victims of abuse themselves. Batterers know that hurting a pet is a way of hurting and coercing another person. Animal abuse may manipulate, control, and intimidate battered women and their children to remain in, or be silent about, abusive situations. Women will often refuse to leave a battered situation in fear that her pets will be killed once she is gone. A 1997 survey of 50 of the largest shelters for battered women in 49 states and the District of Columbia found 85.4% of women and 63% of children entering the shelter talked about incidents of pet abuse in the family. Experts in domestic violence say animal cruelty in abusive homes can be extreme.
Children who witness domestic violence and animal abuse can themselves become potential abusers or future victims. More than 60% of households in our country have companion animals, and in the majority of these households at least one person feels a strong bond, love and friendship towards that companion animal. According to Animal's Agenda, a national animal protection magazine, "the present day inclination to treat cats and dogs as members of the family means, ironically, that animals are abused in 88 percent of the families in which children are abused." All three forms of abuse, animal, child and domestic, come together as family violence.
What can be done about the link between violence towards animals and violence towards people, namely women and children? Here in Dane County, the Sheltering Animals of Abuse Victims (SAAV) program is being reviewed and redesigned. Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS), the Dane County Humane Society, and Wisconsin United for Furry Friends (WUFF) are working hard to rebuild this program. SAAV enables victims of domestic abuse to provide a safe foster home for their pet while they are living in a shelter or temporary facility after leaving an abusive home. Victims seeking to leave their abusive households and needing a temporary foster home for their pet should contact DAIS, who will in turn contact the humane society.
On the federal level, a bill called the Family Violence Prevention Bill will soon be introduced. This bill would provide funding to help shelter the animals of domestic violence victims and increase public awareness of the connection between animal cruelty and human violence. Write your federal legislators and let them know that once the bill is introduced, you would like their support. For more information, contact Alliance for Animals at 257-6333 or mailto: alliance@allanimals.org Also see the following websites: http://www.hsus.org and go into Firststrike and their Legislative Section for updates on this upcoming bill. Also, check out the book, Safe Havens for Pets: Guidelines for Programs Sheltering Pets for Women who are Battered by Frank Ascione, Ph.D.
References:
Allen, Carrie, "For People and Pets, A Safe and Humane Space" Animal Sheltering Magazine, 2000.
Ascione, Frank, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Animal Abuse: Linking the Circles of Compassion for Prevention and Intervention, 1999.
Doris Day Animal Foundation The Violence Connection, available from The Doris Day Animal League.
Duel, D Violence Prevention and Intervention: A Directory of Animal Related Programs, The Humane Society of the United States, 2000.
Lockwood, Randall, Deadly Serious: An FBI Perspective on Animal Cruelty, The Humane Society of the United States, 1997.
Shapiro, Kenneth, "The Culture of Violence" The Animal's Agenda, 1994
Taken from; http://www.madison.com/features/petpourri/31419.php
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Evidence is mounting that animal abuse, frequently embedded in families scarred by domestic violence and child abuse and neglect, often predicts the potential for other violent acts. As early intervention is critical in the prevention and reduction of aggression, this book encourages researchers and professionals to recognize animal abuse as a significant problem and a human public-health issue that should be included as a curriculum topic in training. The book is an interdisciplinary sourcebook of original essays that examine the relations between animal maltreatment and human interpersonal violence, expand the scope of research in this growing area, and provide practical assessment and documentation strategies to help professionals confronting violence do their jobs better by attending to these connections.
This book brings together, for the first time, all of the leaders in this emerging field. They examine contemporary research and programmatic issues, encourage cross-disciplinary interactions, and describe innovative programs in the field today. The book also includes vivid first-person accounts from "survivors" whose experience included animal maltreatment among other forms of family violence.
Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence edited by Randall Lockwood and Frank R. Ascione
The landscapes of violence have become too familiar, too close to home. Despite decades of scientific research, we are only beginning to understand the roots of violence that connect child maltreatment, spouse and partner abuse, and aggression in our neighborhoods and communities.
Cruelty to animals is often part of these landscapes of violence-at times, a strong link to destructive interpersonal relationships. Research on this link has recently received increased attention. However, the layperson, student, and professional interested in this link often face the daunting task of locating the critical references in this area of inquiry.
Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence presents in one volume historical, philosophical, and research sources that explore the maltreatment of animals and the ways people hurt each other. Diverse disciplines are represented among the readings, including psychology and psychiatry, criminology, social work, veterinary science, and anthropology. A bibliography of related books and articles is provided for readers who wish to pursue this topic in greater detail.
MARTIN SHEEN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST THE HORRIFIC SEAL SLAUGHTER OF CANADA
ALEC BALDWIN SPEAKS OUT ABOUT THE FACTORY FARMING INDUSTRY
“Once
you see for yourself the routine cruelty involved in raising animals for food,
you'll understand why millions of compassionate people have decided to leave
meat off their plates for good.”
–Alec Baldwin
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