Category Archives: Animal Cruelty – Domestic Violence Link

Important study links child abuse with animal cruelty

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An important study has been reviewed in an article on the KJCT8.com website, a study that relates to the relationship between those who abuse kids with those who engage in acts of animal cruelty.

A study by researchers Deviney, Dickert, and Lockwood indicates 88 percent of cases of animal cruelty are found in homes where children have faced abuse. And the article also cites a study showing 71 percent of battered women have reported a family pet was also “threatened, hurt or killed.”

We’ve seen other studies that show abusers often move from abusing animals to abusing family members or other people and too often threats to pets or other family members are used to hold someone hostage to the relationship.

It is another reason why cases of animal abuse should be taken VERY seriously.

 

 

PACK MENTALITY BLOG: Compassion - teamed with Science and Logic

Another case showing the link between animal cruelty and attacks on humans

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Another case of someone moving from acts of cruelty to animals to abusing other human beings may be unfolding in New Jersey.

CBS News reports a 19-year-old man has been charged with stabbing a mother who was shopping with her infant child. She was stabbed 20 times and at last report was in stable condition in a hospital. The same individual who attacked this woman was reportedly arrested last month for setting a cat on fire, one he purchased online. He has been charged with attempted murder in this latest case.

Clearly, there is a link between abusing animals and abusing humans. We’ve seen too many cases where evil criminals start out by horribly torturing animals. Our criminal justice system has go to get serious about these crimes. The continual and constant chain of very weak punishment only encourages this behavior. The criminals don’t even consider it a slap on the wrist. They consider it a pat on the back and a welcome mat to engage in more abuse.

And we’ve got to stop charging people with “attempted murder.” Anyone who tries to kill someone intended for the victim to die. The attacker should not get off easy because the victim held on and did not die.

 

Stunned by the news out of Newtown, Conn.

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Like millions of Americans, I am stunned by what took place yesterday in Newtown, Conn. What level of evil does it take to gun down little children? What level of evil does it take to act out with violence against the most innocent among us?

I’ve written often about the connection between animal cruelty and domestic violence. I believe the connection is real. The mentality (or maybe the mental illness) it takes to inflict brutality on children or on animals is one and the same.

We, as a nation, must take the next step in addressing violence against the innocent. And the next step needs to be a major one. We have a mental health problem in this country and beyond it we have a violent problem in this country. Unfortunately, the people in charge keep looking the other way. They are currently arguing about whether or not to raise taxes a little bit on very wealthy people and about tax loopholes, while real issues that impact regular people are sent back to committee.

Raise the damn taxes on the wealthy; get our fiscal house in order and start focusing on programs that help real people. Continue reading →

Pack Topics: Puppy sales; animal cruelty-human cruelty links

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The Los Angeles city council could vote soon to ban stores from selling puppies from large-scale breeders – and the ban would include rabbits and kittens.

The LA Times editorial rightfully supports the move.

And Philly.com’s Health section ran an article Sunday by Diane Russell Girardot, L.P.C., under the headline – “Abuse toward animals may predict violent behavior toward humans.”

Girardot sites studies by the FBI and University of Florida. We need to see more information like this reported in more publications. And our criminal justice justice system needs to fully understand this connection and adjust its punishments accordingly for acts of animal cruelty.

And we need policies in place nationwide that offer mental health programs that can work in conjunction with the criminal justice system.

Dog intervenes to save woman being beaten by her boyfriend

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Last year, when a woman in Kansas City, Mo. was being beaten with a hammer by her boyfriend, her Great Dane came to her defense. The dog absorbed several blows after laying across her body. Reports state the boyfriend then threw them both out of a second-story window.

KCTV5.com reports the dog’s injuries included a broken hip, ribs and other broken bones.

The woman later called a local domestic violence shelter, but the initially facility would not allow the dog to stay there. She refused to leave her dog and the shelter made an exception to allow the two of them to stay there.

The Rose Brooks Center is now working on the addition of 25 beds to a pet-friendly wing of the shelter. It is a great decision, because as the article notes, many abused women will not leave an abuses spouse or boyfriend for fear he will harm a pet.

So the Great Dane and the Rose Brooks Center get Pack of Justice and Pack of Compassion awards.

Two more troubling cases of abuse

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Another animal abuser has gotten off easy, this time in the case of an Illinois man who recently pleaded guilty to a felony charge of aggravated animal cruelty. He cut the throat of his brothers cat after finding out about an affair between the brother and his fiancee.

The Herald-News reports the accused received a sentence of 30 months probation and 150 hours of community service – with no jail time. Prosecutors were calling for a tougher sentence – 180 days in jail.

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Petition has amassed 3,000 signature to call for harsh sentence in W. Va. cruelty case

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Recall the recent case in West Virginia where the accused tortured and killed 29 dogs in front of his girl friend. He was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery, felony kidnapping and twenty-nine counts of felony animal cruelty.

As of Monday, Huliq.com reports 3220 signatures had been collected on an online petition on the website Change.org. The people signing the petition are calling of a harsh penalty in this case.

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Yet another news story about domestic abuse and animal abuse

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Maybe we’re just hearing about this more because the media is focusing on it more – but maybe not. It seems there are an increasing number of cases where people are abusing family members, both human and pets.

In Canton, Ohio, a man was arrested last week and charged with assaulting his pregnant girlfriend and her dog. He punched the puppy several times before holding a knife to her stomach and striking her several times.

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PM News Pack – shark finning, New Mexico anti-cruelty bill

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The New York Times ran a story on March 5 concerning recently introduced bill in California to ban the sale and possession of shark fins and the serving of shark fin soup.

Sharks are brutally killed for their fins, as they are caught, have their fins cut off and are then released to die a slow death.

Because of this cruelty, Hawaii passed a bill to ban these “products” and stores and restaurants have until June 30 of this year to comply. If not, they can face fines of $5,000 to $15,000 for a first offense.

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Two more cases connecting abuse of animals to domestic violence

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It is happening too often and I’m afraid our criminal justice system is far too far behind the trend – and is doing too little to counter this sort of brutality.

Here – we have two more cases of domestic abuse tied to animal cruelty. If our society doesn’t get a handle on this, so many more kids and so many more animals and so many more families will suffer.

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