Research
Help us in our mission to make animal cruelty/neglect to cats and dogs a felony!
Animal cruelty is a predictor and indicator of violent crimes, domestic violence and child abuse.
In a 20 year study, 70% of animal abusers were found to have then committed other crimes and 44% went on to harm people. (Arluke, A. & Luke, C. 1997).
State and national surveys of domestic violence victims consistently find that as many as 71% of battered women report their partners threatened, or killed, the family pet (Ascione, 1995).
Researchers found that there was animal abuse in 88% of families who were under State supervision due to the physical abuse of their children (DeViney, Dickert & Lockwood, 1983).
Serial killers and school shooters have histories of abusing animals.
Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Albert DeSalvo (the “Boston Strangler”) and many others committed heinous acts of animal cruelty before brutally maiming and killing their human victims.
Over half of the school shooters were known to persistently abuse animals (Miner, 1999).
Did you know FACTS!
*Before 1986, only 4 states had felony animal cruelty laws. Now, only 4 states DO NOT have felony animal cruelty laws. (As of 6/09, MS, ID, ND, and SD have not established felony cruelty laws.)
*In a 2006 survey of more than 1,000 representative U. S. households, 85% of respondents believed it was either "very important" or "important" to protect animals from cruelty.
*According to a study conducted by Northeastern University and the Massachusetts SPCA, animal abusers are 5 times more likely to commit violent crimes against people and 4 times more likely to commit property crimes than are individuals without a history of animal abuse.
*The Federal Bureau of Investigation has recognized the link between animal cruelty and violence against people since the 1970's when its analysis of the lives of serial killers revealed that most had killed or tortured animals as children.
*Virtually every serious violent offender has a history of animal abuse in their past. Animal cruelty is a predictor and indicator of violent crimes, domestic violence, and child abuse.
*People abuse animals for the same reasons they abuse humans (i.e., control, feelings of power, psychological problems).
*It is so common for women in domestic violence situations to be afraid of leaving the home out of fear that the abuser will harm or kill the family pet in retaliation that Animal Safehouse programs were created throughout the country so that foster care could be provided for the pets of victims who want to leave the home and seek help.
*High school shooters Kip Kinkel (Springfield, OR), Luke Woodham (Pearl, MS), Eric Harris & Dylan Kiebold (Columbine) tortured and killed animals before killing their classmates.
*Serial killers Henry Lee Lucas, Leonard Lake, David Berkowitz, Patrick Sherrill, Ed Kemper, Albert DeSalvo, Brenda Spencer, C. Edward Cole, Peter Kurten, and Jeffrey Dahmer--just to name a few--tortured and killed animals prior to torturing and killing humans.
Resources:
Pet Abuse.Com (www.pet-abuse.com)
Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Brian Lane & Wilfred Gregg
Serial Killers by Dr. Joel Norris
Child's Prey by Jon Bellini (Chapter Nine)
Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org)
U. S. Dept. of Justice
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