American Humane: Cross-Reporting of Child and Animal Abuse a Must

3/11/2003

From: Anna Gonce of American Humane, 303-925-9462, e-mail: annag@americanhumane.org

DENVER, March 11 -- A father becomes angry at the family dog for staying outside the yard. He loads one of his nine guns, then shoots and kills the animal. His children, who witness the violence, begin to sob. The father grabs one child by the hair and slaps another child, then begins to cry himself. His wife tries to comfort them all, but her feelings of anger are mixed with genuine terror. She knows that, in a moment of rage, her husband could kill any one of them and cry about it afterward. This is just one of many anecdotal examples of the correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence illustrated in the book Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence.

A small but growing body of research indicates that premeditated torture or killing of animals often occurs in conjunction with, or as a precursor to, other types of violent behavior, such as child abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse, murder, gang activity, and even satanic ritual. This correlation is commonly referred to by American Humane as the Link. Evidence of the Link is so overwhelming that 38 states and the District of Columbia currently have felony level convictions for serious acts of animal abuse.

In Florida, Democratic Senator Walter "Skip" Campbell has introduced S. 130, an important bill that calls for animal control officers and other specified agents to report known or suspected child abuse, neglect, or abandonment. The legislation also mandates that individuals who are required to report or investigate child abuse also report suspected animal abuse, neglect, cruelty, or abandonment.

American Humane, the nation's only organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals, fully supports cross-reporting as an important part of early intervention efforts to protect both children and animals.

"Animal control officers and child protective services workers are trained to recognize signs of abuse and neglect. They have access to homes where abuse is suspected, which puts them in a unique position to protect both the children and the animals in abusive homes," says Suzanne Barnard, American Humane's vice president of public policy.

The Florida bill is especially important in light of a recent animal abuse case in Fort Pierce, Fla., which further illustrates the connection between animal abuse and child abuse. As reported by the Palm Beach Post, 41-year-old Tracy Thomas Culley was arrested on charges of animal cruelty and child abuse after he was accused of killing the family's nine-month-old puppy while his 6-year-old son watched. After he found a hole chewed through his water hose, Culley allegedly stuffed the hose down the puppy's throat, then dropped and kicked the animal. According to the report, Culley's son pleaded with his father to stop, but he didn't. The dog subsequently died.

"The death of a pet is very traumatic for a child, but for a child to witness something like this is unthinkable. Research indicates that children who witness animal cruelty may imitate that behavior. The community should be gravely concerned about the lasting effects on this young boy's emotional development," says Barnard.

American Humane strongly supports S. 103 and all other forms of cross-reporting legislation. Florida residents are urged to contact their representatives and senators in the Florida Legislature in support of this important legislation by going to http://www.americanhumane.org and clicking on Action Alerts.