I met Phil Arkow a few years ago at a conference. He is not only a lecturer, but also an author and a teacher. He currently teaches two courses on Animal-Assisted Therapy and Animal-Assisted Activities at Camden County College in New Jersey

Since my background is in teaching  (humans), I have been trained to recognize signs of child abuse. As a dog trainer, I also have developed a radar for detecting signs of animal abuse.  Phil’s lecture educated me on the link between animal cruelty and other forms of abuse, and what to do about it.

Most of the time, animal abuse will precede human abuse. If there is an animal being abused in the home, the chances are much higher for human violence.  More than 80 % of family members being treated for child abuse also had abused animals. In two-thirds of these cases, an abusive parent had killed or injured a pet. In one-third of the cases, a child victim continued the cycle of violence by abusing a pet.

Is there a link between childhood adversity, bullying and animal cruelty? According to the Link Newsletter, “children who were threatened, pushed, shoved, slapped, or hit, or who were made to do chores that were too difficult or dangerous, were more likely to develop bullying behaviors. Hearing swearing or hurtful things, or having an adult in the home sent to prison, or being touched or fondled in a sexual way were significant indicators of animal cruelty. The cumulative burden of childhood adversities had strong effects on the increased likelihood of bullying behaviors but not on cruelty to animals.”  Vaughn, M.G., Fu, Q., Beaver, K.M., DeLisi, M., Perron, B.E., & Howard, M.O. (2011). Effects of childhood adversity on bullying and cruelty to animals in the United States:

Lack of empathy seems to be the red flag. Children who have grown up in homes where animals are abused are at a greater risk of becoming violent against people. Animal abuse is an anti social, aggressive behaviour. Children who witness it can grow up lacking empathy.

Shelters everyone are all too familiar with dogs rescued from abusive homes. If there are children in these homes, what can we do? Is there a way to share information and help prevent the abuse from spreading to family members?Get tips on identifying and reporting animal cruelty and neglect.

“One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and get away with it.” -Anthropologist Margaret Mead