Research has documented relationships between childhood histories of animal cruelty and patterns of chronic interpersonal aggression. Animals often become victims in the battles of power and control that typically mark domestic violence. Animal abuse and neglect often indicate situations of elders needing assistance.

Research increasingly substantiates the interrelationships of different forms of abuse, which are often committed by the same offenders. Officials in child welfare, animal care and control, domestic violence and adult protective services are coordinating their efforts. By transcending disciplinary and institutional boundaries, collaborations ensure a more effective approach to breaking the cycles of violence and protecting all vulnerable members of society.

“Social scientists and law enforcement agencies have begun to examine cruelty to animals as a serious human problem closely linked to domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and other violent crimes. [These efforts] cannot undo generations of abuse, but they can be an effective means of breaking the cycle of family violence from one generation to the next.”

— International Association of Chiefs of Police

Historically, cruelty to animals has been viewed as an issue separate from other forms of violence and ignored by the human services and criminal justice fields. Animal cruelty needs to be taken as seriously as any human violence. The old attitude of, “It’s just an animal!” is being replaced with a new awareness: “If he’s hurting animals, someone else in the home is next!”