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Dear Friend,
Is Animal Cruelty a ‘Red Flag’ for Family Violence?
 A new study supports the premise of cross-reporting legislation and sheds light on the underlying assumption that animal cruelty and family violence commonly co-occur. Sarah DeGue, a behavioral scientist in the Division of Violence Prevention for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and David DiLillo, of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, surveyed 860 college students who assessed their exposure to family violence and animal cruelty. Results suggested that witnessing or perpetrating animal abuse may be a red flag predictive of family violence, increasing the odds of exposure to child abuse or domestic violence by 1.5 to 2 times. About 62 percent of participants who witnessed or perpetrated animal cruelty as a child had also experienced child maltreatment or domestic violence. Individuals who had abused animals were more likely to report a history of sexual abuse and neglect. The results suggested that animal abuse may prove a more reliable marker for other forms of family violence than vice versa, and lend support to cross-reporting strategies and the need for school, medical and mental health professionals to assess for exposure to family violence when presented with a child reporting a history of witnessing or perpetrating animal cruelty.
DeGue, S., & DiLillo, D. (2009). Is animal cruelty a “red flag” for family violence? Investigating co-occurring violence toward children, partners, and pets. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 24(6), 1036-1056.
Exploring The Link in an Afro-Caribbean Community
The link between domestic violence, other deviant behavior and inadequate pet care has been found in a survey of 641 college students in the Bahamas. William J. Fielding and Susan Plumridge report in a study to be published in Anthrozoos that the prevalence of alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, illegal drug use and the presence of a convicted criminal in the household were higher both when pets were intentionally harmed and when pets were “not well cared for.” Violence as a means of disciplining pets was common in these homes. The data suggest that careful monitoring of animal care, as well as intentional cruelty, in cross-reporting may be beneficial in identifying households at greater risk of domestic violence.
Fielding, W. J., & Plumridge, S. (in press). The association between pet care and deviant household behaviors in an Afro-Caribbean, college student community in New Providence, The Bahamas. Anthrozoos. Available from wfielding@cob.edu.bs.
Fact Sheet for Veterinarians Available
The Linkage Project and the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence have teamed up to produce a handy, informative one-page fact sheet and palm cards to assist Maine’s veterinarians in reporting suspicions of animal cruelty and domestic violence. The “Maine Veterinary Fact Sheet: What Every Veterinary Practice Should Know” describes how pets are part of the family; why veterinary practices should be concerned about how pet injuries occurred; Maine’s laws that protect pets from domestic violence and cover veterinarians who report suspected animal cruelty; and procedures for reporting suspected cruelty. The fact sheet is available online.
Pets and Women’s Shelters (PAWS)® Program Spotlighted in New Book
 Allie Phillips, vice president of American Humane’s Office of Public Policy and creator of the start-up manual to help women’s shelters build PAWS animal-housing facilities on-site, has written a chapter about the PAWS Program in a new book. Reaching the Bar: Stories of Women at All Stages of Their Law Careers (New York: Kaplan Publishing, 2009) tells the stories of 25 women and their law experiences. Phillips’ chapter is entitled “Pets in the Cross Fire.”
Connecticut SafePet Project Launched
The Connecticut SafePet Project, the first Link coalition in the Nutmeg State, was launched this spring by Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary to provide 60 days of veterinary and respite care for battered women’s pets. Annie Chittenden, founder of the Human-Animal Welfare Connection in Madison, Conn., reports that last summer’s National Link Coalition Town Hall Meeting in Portland, Maine provided the high energy and impetus for the project. Details, along with Client Screening and Safety Plan Guidelines for Referring Agents, are available in the summer 2009 issue of the Latham Foundation’s Latham Letter or from Chittenden at safepet@ourcompanions.org. |
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Coming Soon to a Venue Near You: Link Training
Dallas, Texas, Aug. 17-20, 2009
Allie Phillips will present on The Link at the 21st Annual Dallas Crimes Against Children Conference. To learn more about the conference, visit https://www.cacconference.org/.
Findlay, Ohio, Sept. 3, 2009
Lesley Ashworth will present on The Link at the Ohio Domestic Violence Network training event. For details, contact lashworth@columbus.rr.com.
Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 11, 2009
Lesley Ashworth will present "Kids and Critters: An Interdisciplinary Prevention and Intervention Strategy in Child Maltreatment and Family Violence" at the Public Children Services Association of Ohio annual conference. For details, contact jeed@pcsao.org.
Harrisonville, Mo., Sept. 14, 2009
Phil Arkow will present on The Link at a multidisciplinary conference through the Cass County Health Assessment Resource Team. For details, contact Mary Gutierrez at gutiem@lpha.mopublic.org.
Corpus Christi, Texas, Sept. 24, 2009
Allie Phillips will present on The Link during the Texas District & County Attorneys Association Annual Criminal and Civil Law Update conference. For more information, contact Eric Nielsen at (512) 474-2436 or visit http://www.tdcaa.com/training/.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,
Oct. 8-9, 2009
Frank Ascione, Melinda Merck, Christina Risley-Curtiss and Sarah Davies will be among the featured speakers at Cruelty/Crime Connection: Breaking the Chain. For more information and online registration, visit www.albertaspca.org/conference.
Orlando, Fla., Oct. 9, 2009
Phil Arkow will speak at the Domestic Violence Awareness luncheon for Harbor House. For details, contact Carol Wick at cwick@harborhousefl.com.
Davis, Calif., Oct. 19, 2009
Phil Arkow will address veterinary involvement in The Link at the University of California -- Davis College of Veterinary Medicine. For details, contact Samantha McDonnel at sjmcdonnel@ucdavis.edu.
Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 25, 2009
Phil Arkow and Emily Patterson-Kane will discuss “Practical Guidelines for the Effective Response by Veterinarians to Suspected Animal Cruelty, Abuse and Neglect” at the International Society for Anthrozoology/Human-Animal Interaction conference. For details, see www.rechai.missouri.edu/isaz_hai09.htm.
San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 29, 2009
Frank Ascione and Terry Peak will discuss Animal Welfare Issues & Elder Adult Maltreatment: Assessment Approaches at the National Adult Protective Services Association conference. For details, see http://www.apsconference.org/.
Nassau, Bahamas, Nov. 5, 2009
Phil Arkow will lecture on The Link at a program sponsored by the Bahamas Humane Society and the College of the Bahamas. For details, contact William Fielding at wfielding@cob.edu.bs.
Champaign-Urbana, Ill., Nov. 12, 2009
Phil Arkow will speak on The Link at the University of Illinois. For details, contact vkazani2@illinois.edu.
Got a training program or good news to add to the list? Please let us know. Contact Phil Arkow at phila@americanhumane.org. | |
