1. Facts about The Link® Between Violence to People and Violence to Animals
Paul Needham Tina Harman Julie Bank
APS Program Field Rep Public Information Officer Animal Welfare Superintendent
Department of Human Services District Attorneys Council The City of Oklahoma City

2. Search on Facebook for: Oklahoma Link Coalition Community
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3. What is the National Link Coalition?
Organized in 2008 in Portland, Maine.
Informal collaboration of multidisciplinary experts addressing prevention and response to animal abuse, domestic violence, child maltreatment and elder abuse.
Focus on policy, programs, public awareness, and academic research (1,000+ citations).
By recognizing how human and animal violence are intertwined, violence prevention is enhanced and families and communities are safer.

4. What is The Link?
Animal abuse rarely occurs in a vacuum: usually the tip of the iceberg and indicates or predicts other family issues.
Caseworkers need not be experts in other areas, but...
Caseworkers who are on alert for suspected abuse and have open lines of communication to refer suspected cases to other authorities provide more comprehensive prevention & protection.

5. Why Are Pets Important to Human Services Agencies?
Animal abuse is a crime.
Animal abuse often indicates or predicts other issues.
Animal abuse is NOT a normal rite of passage of delinquent children.
We can no longer excuse it by saying “It was only a squirrel” or “boys will be boys.”
Untreated, animal abuse can escalate in severity and incidence against humans.

6. Why Are Pets Important to Human Services Agencies?
Pets are common denominators in the lives of most families – and virtually all children
More American homes have pets than have children.
We spend more money on pet food than on baby food.
Pets are found in 2/3 of homes with children under age 6 and ¾ of homes with children over age 6.
There are more dogs in the US than there are people in most countries in Europe… and more cats than dogs!
A child is more likely to grow up with pets than with a father who lives at home.

7. Why Are Pets Important to Human Services Agencies?
How We View Pets Has Changed Dramatically
99% of Americans consider pets “family members” or “companions.”
Survivors of disasters will not evacuate unless provisions are made for their pets.
PETS Act of (Pet Evacuation & Transportation Standards): Counties must have pet evacuation plans in order to receive FEMA $$.

8. The American Veterinary Medical Association
Be afraid, be VERY afraid of the 1% ers.

9. The Link and Violent Crimes
Law Enforcement agencies and courts worldwide are recognizing that people who commit acts of serious animal abuse frequently have previous histories of, or future tendencies toward, violent crimes against humans.
Simply stated, when animals are abused, people are at risk. When people are abused, animals are at risk.

10. FBI Approves Adding Animal Abuse to Data-Reporting Forms
A chronic obstacle facing organizations addressing animal cruelty and its links to human violence was overcome in September when FBI Director James B. Comey signed and approved recommendations from the Criminal Justice Information Services Advisory Policy Board to add animal cruelty crimes to the Uniform Crime Report - National Incident-Based Reporting System (UCR/NIBRS).
Animal cruelty will be listed as a Group A offense with four sub-categories: simple/gross neglect; intentional abuse and torture; organized abuse; and animal sexual abuse. Cruelty will be defined as: Intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly taking an action that mistreats or kills any animal without just cause, such as torturing, tormenting, mutilation, maiming, poisoning, or abandonment.
It will take years to get implemented but we are on the right track. It is NOT an easy task getting the UCR changed so this took a lot of hard work and diligence to make this happen.

11. How do you define animal abuse?
Most common abuses seen by animal care and control investigators:
Pet in poor physical condition; matted fur; infested with parasites.
Inadequate food, water, shelter.
Lack of veterinary care.
Bruises, fractures, burns, scalds.
Gunshot, dart, bow & arrow wounds.
Filth and poor sanitation; overcrowding; hoarding of animals (living and dead).
Animal fighting equipment.
Note: Most complaints are for animal neglect rather than physical or sexual abuse.
Note: Emotional abuse (e.g., animal left alone all day, whining due to separation anxiety) is NOT illegal under the law.

12. Before they killed people they abused animals
Serial killers, DC Sniper, School shooters

13. What Are the Links between Child Maltreatment and Animal Abuse?
A long, intertwined history:
The world’s first child abuse prosecutions were
handled by humane societies.
Many humane societies protected animals AND children until passage of CAPTA (Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act) in 1971 established national and state Child Protective Services networks.
The
“Little
Mary
Ellen”
Case
(1874)
Henry Bergh, Founder
American SPCA

14. What Are the Links between Child Maltreatment and Animal Abuse?
Key Statistics:
62-76% of animal cruelty in the home occurs in the presence of a child.
Sexually-abused children are 5X more likely to abuse animals than are non-abused children.
As many as 31% of children in some neighborhoods have attended a dog fight.

15. The Link and Domestic Violence
Because women are often emotionally close to and have primary responsibility for household animals, they are particularly vulnerable to batterers who would exploit this bond to exert power and coercion. Millions of battered women are trapped in abusive homes because there is no one to care for animals that cannot accompany them to safety. Children in these households are at risk of witnessing and perpetrating this violence as well.
Women do not want to leave behind pets. Pets are often times the only “happiness” they have. I come from a home like this. My mom didn’t leave my abusive step dad because of our pet poodle.

16. What Are the Links between Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse?
The Intergenerational Cycle of Violence

17. Domestic violence goes hand in hand with animal abuse
Thirteen percent of intentional animal abuse cases involved domestic violence. (Humane Society, 2001)
Thirty two percent of battered women reported that their children had hurt or killed animals. (Ascione, 1998)
Twelve independent studies have reported that between 18% and 48% of battered women delay leaving abusive situations out of fear for the safety of their animals. (Ascione, 2007)
Children that witness violence as a norm within their households immolate what they see and see that abuse can be a away to control another living being. Not a good lesson, and this starts what we call the cycle of violence.

18. What Are the Links between Elder Abuse and Animal Abuse?
Key Statistics:
92% of Adult Protective Services case workers saw animal neglect co-occurring with clients’ inability to care for themselves.
45% observed intentional animal abuse or neglect.
75% reported clients’ concerns for animals’ welfare impacted their decisions to accept interventions or services.
Boat, B.W. & Knight, J. C. (2000). Experiences and needs of Adult Protective Services case managers when assisting clients who have companion animals. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 12( 3/4),

19. What Are the Links between Elder Abuse and Animal Abuse?
What Is Animal Hoarding?
Not a harmless eccentricity but a serious mental health, public health and environmental issue requiring multidisciplinary interventions.
100% recidivism rate.
Patronek, G.J., Loar, L. & Nathanson, J.N., (eds.) ( 2006). Animal Hoarding: Structuring Interdisciplinary Responses to Help People, Animals and Communities at Risk. North Grafton, MA: Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium.

20. The Link and Elder Abuse
Senior citizens are at particular risk of hoarding excess numbers of animals in unhealthy environments. Signs of animal neglect are an early warning sign of a senior’s self neglect or need of assistance. Senior’s emotional attachments to their pets make them vulnerable to those who would exploit this bond to exert control over an older victim.

21. The impact of pets on Seniors
1. Neglect of pet (food, vet care)
2. Neglect themselves to care for pet
(starve, eat pet food, avoid hospital/nursing home)
3. Hoarding/collecting animals
4. Attachment and pet loss
5. Safety of caseworker, home health aide
or homemaker services (waste, bites)
6. Animal abuse as coercion and control

22. The stats don’t lie…
A significant percentage of people who hoard or collect animals are older women. ( Pet.Abuse.com, 2007)
35% of adult protective services caseworkers reported that their clients talk about pets being threatened, injured, killed or denied care. (Boat and Knight, 2000)
75% of APS workers noted their client’s concern for their pets’ welfare affected decisions about accepting interventions or other services.

23. Resources www.nationallinkcoalition.org arkowpets@snip.net
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24. "The Oklahoma Link Coalition (OLC) promotes collaboration, cooperation, public awareness, and education to end violence against people and animals by recognizing the link between human and animal abuse."

25. Search on Facebook for: Oklahoma Link Coalition Community
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