Animal abuse tied to domestic violence

Angela Soo

Monday, April 30, 2001 | 9:57 a.m.

Animals are apt to be early victims in cases of domestic violence and are often the reason why the partner who is being abused does not seek to escape the situation, experts say.

Representatives from Safe Nest, a nonprofit organization for victims of domestic violence, said that abusers often use pets as a form of control over the victim in several ways.

And Carmen Arnhold of the North Las Vegas Animal Control Department said that "about 75 percent to 80 percent of our animal abuse cases involve some other type of abuse that's going on in the household."

The observations about the link between domestic violence and animal abuse were made Thursday by experts attending a seminar in observance of National Crime Victims' Week.

"The abuser may use the animal as an example and say: 'Look at what I did to the pet. This could happen to you,' " Charleen Aydt-Stann, Safe Nest's domestic violence response project team leader, said.

Victims are pained to see their pets assaulted and used as weapons against them, Aydt-Stann said.

This makes the victims even more unwilling to leave the household because their pet would still be in danger, which is another form of control the aggressor has over the victim, she said.

Aydt-Stann also addressed the link between animal cruelty and child abuse.

If children are abusing pets, it's a sign of something larger," Aydt-Stann said. "It's a way for them to gain control."

Often feeling powerless towards their abuser, children need to find other places where they can feel in control. Animals satisfy that need.

"The earliest sign of child behavioral problem is animal abuse," Aydt-Stann said. "We're hoping that people recognize that link so that assistance can be provided early on."

Arnhold agreed that early detection is crucial because statistics show that allowing a child to continue abusing animals will likely cause the child to lead a violent life.

"Children will become desensitized where it becomes just as easy to commit the same crime on human beings," Aydt-Stann said.

Aydt-Stann said her organization is organizing a campaign involving local veterinarians to help look for signs of domestic abuse and to report any suspicious cases."

Signs to look for on an animal that may indicate domestic abuse include bloody urine, broken teeth or limping, Arnhold said.

Several veterinarians currently offer shelter for the animals if victims have no other place to house them.

"People don't realize how often animal abuse occurs," Arnhold said. "It happens on a weekly basis."