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pSyCh

ANIMAL ABUSE & HUMAN ABUSE:  PARTNERS IN CRIME

(Stephen R. Kellert, Ph.D and Alan R. Felthous, MD)

“Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives.”

                                                                                                       - Albert Schweitzer

Violent acts toward animals have long been recognized as indicators of a violent psychopathology that doesn’t confine itself to animals.  “Murderers… very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids,” according to Robert K. Ressler, who developed profiles of serial killers for the FBI.  Studies have now convinced sociologists, lawmakers and the courts that acts of cruelty toward animals deserve our attention.  They can be the first sign of a violent pathology that includes humans.

 A Long Road to Violence.  Animal abuse is not just the result of a minor personality flaw in the abuser, but a symptom of a deep disturbance.  Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty against animals don’t stop there; many of them move on the their fellow humans.

 The FBI has found that a history of cruelty to animals is one of the traits that regularly appears in its computer records of serial rapists and murderers, and the standard diagnostic and treatment manual for psychiatric and emotional disorders lists cruelty to animals a diagnostic criterion for conduct disorders. (Daniel Goleman, The New York Times, 8-7-91)

Studies have shown that violent and aggressive criminals are more likely to have abused animals as children than criminals considered non-aggressive. (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 1-1-87)  A survey of psychiatric patients who had repeatedly tortured dogs and cats found all of them had high levels of aggression toward people as well, including one patient who had murdered a young boy. (Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 1980)  To researchers, a fascination with cruelty to animals is a red flag in the lives of serial rapists and killer.

 Notorious Killers.  History is replete with notorious examples:  Patrick Sherrill, who killed 14 coworkers at a post office and then shot himself, had a history of stealing local pets and allowing his own dog to attack and mutilate them. (International Association of Chiefs of Police)  Earl Kenneth Shriner, who raped, stabbed and mutilated a 7-year-old boy, had been widely known in his neighborhood as the man who put firecrackers in dogs’ privates and strung up cats.  Brenda Spencer, who opened fire at a San Diego school, killing two children and injuring nine others, had repeatedly abused cats and dogs, often by setting their tails on fire.  Albert DeSalvo, the ‘Boston Strangler’ who killed 13 women, trapped dogs and cats in orange crates and shot arrows through the boxes in his youth. (International Association of Chiefs of Police)  Carroll Edward Cole, executed for five of 35 murders of which he was accused, said his first act of violence as a child was to strangle a puppy.  In 1987, three Missouri high school students were charged with the beating death of a classmate.  They had histories of repeated acts of animal mutilation starting several years earlier.  One confessed he had killed so many cats he’d lost count.  Two brothers who murdered their parents had previously told classmates they had decapitated a cat. (The Washington Post, 4-4-95)  Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer had impaled dogs’ heads, frogs and cats on sticks. (Daniel Goleman, The New York Times)

 

 

 Sadly, many of these criminals’ childhood violence went unexamined – until it was directed toward humans.  As anthropologist Margaret Mead noted, “One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal.. and get away with it”.

 Animal Cruelty and Family Violence.  Because domestic abuse is directed toward the powerless, animal abuse and child abuse often go hand in had.  Parents who neglect an animal’s need for proper care or who abuse animals may also abuse or neglect their children.  Some abusive adults who know better than to abuse a child in public have no such qualms about abusing an animal publicly.

 In 88% of 57 New Jersey families being treated for child abuse, animals in the hoe had been abused. (International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems, 1983)  Of 23 British families with a history of animal neglect, 83% had been identified by experts as having children at risk of abuse or neglect.

 While animal abuse is an important sign of child abuse, the parent isn’t always the one harming the animal.  Children who abuse animals may be repeating a lesson learned at home; like their parents, they are reacting to anger or frustration with violence.  Their violence is directed at the only individual in the family more vulnerable than themselves…  an animal.  One expert says, ‘Children in violent homes are characterized by… frequently participating in pecking-order battering,” in which they may maim or kill an animal.  Indeed, domestic violence is the most common background for childhood cruelty to animals.

 Stopping the Cycle of Abuse.  There’s a consensus of belief among psychologists that cruelty to animals is one of the best examples of the continuity of psychological disturbances from childhood to adulthood.  In short, according to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, “a case for the prognostic value of childhood animal cruelty has been well documented”.

Schools, parents, communities and courts who shrug off animal abuse as a “minor” crime are ignoring a time bomb.  Instead, communities should be aggressively penalizing animal abusers, examining families for other signs of violence and requiring intensive counseling for perpetrators.  Communities must reorganize that abuse to ANY living individual is unacceptable and endangers everyone.

 Additionally, children should be taught to care for and respect animals in their own right.  After extensive study of the link between animal abuse and human abuse, two experts concluded, “The evolution of a more gentle and benign relationship in human society might, thus be enhanced by our promotion o a more positive and nurturing ethic between children and animals”.