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Women and Pets Escaping Violence

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Family violence involves the abuse of predominately women, children and animals. People who abuse animals are often responsible for family violence. Abusers exercise power and control through the physical, psychological and emotional torture of victims who abusers know to be defenceless.  The same power and control-based abuse is found across the spectrum in instances of child, elder, spousal, animal, or sexual abuse. Canadian research indicates that roughly 1 in 4 women experiencing domestic violence and who own pets significantly delay their escape to safety if it means leaving a pet behind. (Sue C. McIntosh collaborative 2001 study Calgary Humane, YWCA Family Violence Prevention Centre and RESOLVE Alberta) If we do not address the connection between human and animal violence we will continue to allow pet ownership to act as a barrier for victims of violence.

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If you are an abused woman, click here

Index
About this Project
Historical Overview
The Violence Link – women, children, pets
Why do abusers threaten, harm or kill animals?
Effects on Women
Effects on Children
Benefits of Recognizing the Link
What can I do?
Signs of Abuse
Risk Assessment
Safety Planning Kit
Safety Planning for Women
Safety Planning for Pets
How to Clear your Internet History

In Support of this Project

The CFHS wishes to thank all the organizations that have contributed to this program.

Click here to obtain a list of organizations that support this project.

The CFHS obtained funding from the Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) summer student program 2008 for a pilot project to address the problems faced by women with pets when trying to escape domestic violence in the Ottawa Community. The goal for the project is that it will become a model that can be implemented in any community across Canada. A group of service providers in the Ottawa region have come together to address the barriers that abused women with pets face and to work together to create a program to assist women with pets escape violence.

Goals

Humane societies and SPCAs have taken the lead in creating greater awareness of the link between human and animal violence and in building bridges among those who work to address violence in society, whether toward women, children or animals. Dr. Randall Lockwood, Senior Vice President of Anti-Cruelty Initiatives and Training with the American SPCA, and Phil Arkow, Chair of the Child and Animal Abuse Prevention Project with the Latham Foundation, are two of the leading, world-renowned experts on the connection between animal abuse and human violence.

In 1995, the CFHS co-hosted with the British Columbia SPCA the first violence prevention seminar in Canada. This seminar featured Dr. Lockwood as the keynote speaker as well as speakers working in law enforcement, family violence and animal protection. The aim was to educate people who work in violence prevention and to encourage cross-reporting of abuse. The fact is that when animals are at risk, people are at risk, and when people are at risk, animals are at risk.
Several violence prevention seminars have since been held in various parts of the country. In 2000, the CFHS co-hosted with the Moncton SPCA the first ever Atlantic-based seminar on the violence link featuring Phil Arkow. Another first was the “Tangled Web of Abuse” seminar held in the north also in 2000, hosted by the Humane Society Yukon with Dr. Lockwood as the keynote speaker.

These seminars and the work of the CFHS have educated the general public, the media and even the government about the link between domestic violence and animal abuse. In December, 1999 Justice Minister Anne McLellan introduced Bill C-17 to amend Canada’s federal animal cruelty law in the House of Commons. The Minister’s press release stated: “Amended legislation to deal with cruelty to animals signifies the seriousness of these acts that are often warning signs of violent behaviour aimed at people.”

In addition to raising awareness of the link between human and animal violence, humane societies and SPCAs also play an important role through humane education programs aimed at teaching children compassion and respect for animals.

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Animal abuse and family violence do not exist in isolation; animal abuse is often a sign of problems within the family. People who abuse animals are often responsible for family violence. Abusers exercise power and control through the physical, psychological and emotional torture of victims who abusers know to be defenceless. The same power and control-based abuse is found across the spectrum in instances of child, elder, spousal, animal, or sexual abuse. When a person or animal is being abused in the home the possibility of other forms of violence occurring in the home should be considered as well. In reality, violence is not isolated. Compartmentalizing violence (the silo approach) merely hinders the victims and those who work to help them. Understanding and addressing the connection between animal abuse and human violence can better protect victims, arrest those who commit violent acts and prevent future abuse by identifying those with violent tendencies.

Pets are especially important to victims in violent relationships as they provide a strong emotional connection and are often the only source of support for victims in times of fear and isolation. Abusers use the vulnerability of animals to control their victims and keep them in violent relationships. When animals are at risk of violence, children and women are at risk too.

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Women usually have strong emotional ties to their pets and are often their primary care-givers. This makes women especially vulnerable to abusers who use this to exert power. For many victims, pets are a part of the family, and as stated earlier, the emotional connection and support that pets provide women in times of fear and isolation is not something to be overlooked. The safety of a pet must be taken into consideration when victims are faced with the decision to leave an abusive situation. If pets are not taken into consideration, women and children are placed at higher risk because they may delay leaving their abusive partner to ensure their pets’ safety. A 2000 study conducted by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Ontario SPCA) reports that:

Children and animals that are abused often share similar experiences of abuse. Children feel powerless against abusers and some children find their own victims over which to practice control. Therefore, some children who grow up with violence are motivated to harm animals. Children who abuse animals are often mimicking the abuse they have been exposed to or experienced themselves, protecting their pet from abuse or practicing their own suicide. Children may also have been forced to harm animals to coerce them into silence about the abuse they experience. Therefore when a child is being cruel to animals it must not be disregarded as the exploratory stages in a child’s development. A deeper understanding of the reasons behind why a child is behaving in this way must be explored.

Children who have been through the traumatic experiences of abuse or have been exposed to abuse of a pet need help to learn the empathy skills they lack when they are perpetrating their own abuse of animals. Children need to understand that all living beings experience pain and suffering. Teaching empathy and discussing how animals and humans can experience the same physical and emotional pain is an effective way of preventing violence and cruelty in the future.

“Children abusing animals is the earliest and most reliable predictor of violent behavior.”

Kathleen M. Quinn, The Brown University, Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter

The FBI has used the human/animal violence connection since the 1970’s when profiling serial killers. Some serial killers with a history of animal abuse include: Jeffery Dahmer, Paul Bernardo, Ted Bundy, Albert De Salvo, and Clifford Olsen. Not all children who are cruel to animals grow up to be violent criminals but nearly all violent criminals have a history of animal abuse. Nearly all violent criminals and serial killers come from dysfunctional families with experiences of parental neglect, brutality, rejection and hostility. It is important to remember that where there is one form of abuse- whether it be child or animal- all members of the family could be at risk.

“The worst thing that can happen to a child is for him to harm an animal and get away with it. Animal cruelty kills respect for life.”

Margaret Mead, American Anthropologist

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“Children will often speak more readily about abuse inflicted upon their pets than upon themselves.”

Mary Zilney MSW, RSW, Executive Director of Women’s Crisis Services Waterloo

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It is important to recognize that animal abuse is a sign of domestic abuse.

“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”

The Violence Link Project, British Columbia SPCA

If you suspect that you are in an abusive relationship it is important to prepare yourself, your children and your pet for escape, whether you have decided to leave or not. When it comes to the crisis point it can be difficult and dangerous to organize yourself to leave. Safety planning includes thinking about the actions that you will have to take to protect yourself, your children and your pets. Starting now can only help you.

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safety planning for pets

If you’re able to prepare for your pet’s departure, try to have the following pet items in a safe place where your abiser won’t find them.

Before leaving make sure you:

Adapted from the Making the Connection: Protecting Your Pet from Domestic Violence, by the HSUS. Copyright The Humane Society of the United States and the Violence Prevention Program, Calgary Humane Society.

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Internet Explorer

  1. Click on the Tools menu, which is found on the top portion of the browser;
  2. Select Internet Options;
  3. Select the General tab, which is found near the top of the dialogue box;
  4. Click on Delete Files, which is found under Temporary Internet Files section (located near the middle of the dialogue box);
  5. In the new dialogue box, check the box that says Delete All Offline Content, and then click OK;
  6. Click on Clear History, which is found under the History section (located near the bottom of the dialogue box); and then
  7. Click OK to exit dialogue box.

Netscape Navigator

  1. Click on the Edit menu, which is found on the top portion of the browser;
  2. Select Preferences;
  3. Select History, which is found under Category (located on the left side of the dialogue box);
  4. Click on Clear History, which is found under the Browsing History section (located on the top right side of the dialogue box);
  5. Click on Clear Location Bar, which is found under the Location Bar History section (located near the middle of the right side of the dialogue box);
  6. Select Cache, which is found under the Advanced section (located on the left side of the dialogue box);
  7. Click on both Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disk Cache buttons; and then
  8. Click OK to exit the dialogue box.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Click on the Tools menu, which is found on the top portion of the browser;
  2. Select the Privacy tab, which is found on the left side of the dialogue box;
  3. Select History and click on the clear button;
  4. Select Cache and click on the clear button; and then
  5. Click OK to exit dialogue box,
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