Animal abuse is one of several expressions of antisocial behavior. Very often, one of these expressions is accompanied by others. For example, the animal cruelty should be considered an important indicator of cruelty towards other people.
This is one of the arguments of Dr. Eleonora Gullone, a behavioral psychologist, animal advocate, and researcher who has focused for more than two decades on child and adolescent well-being, as well as human-animal interactions. She says that creating a culture of kindness towards all living things will result in the reduction of antisocial and violent behavior in future generations, and invites not minimize the reality of animal abuse in public order, prevention and treatment decisions.
Anger, frustration and desire to dominate
Biologist and professor Henry R. Hermann published in 2017 a book called Dominance and aggression in humans and other animals. In one of the chapters he explains that lActs of cruelty to animals are symptoms of profound mental disturbance.
The people who torture animals don’t stop there; the next phase for many is to mistreat other people. “Murderers often start as children killing and torturing animals.”
On what does Hermann base his conclusions? In studies of psychiatric patients who repeatedly abused dogs and cats as children. They all had high levels of aggression towards people, too.
For researchers, fascination with cruelty to animals is a red flag in profiles of serial killers and sex offenders. “These are the kids who never learned that it’s wrong to poke a puppy’s eyes.”
Since abusers seek out individuals who are less dominant than themselves (Hermann bases his work on the social behavior of animals and humans), crimes against animals, spouses, children, and the elderly often go hand in hand.
Children who harm animals may be repeating lessons learned at home; they were often abused, and from then on they react to anger and frustration with violence.
This violence is often directed at animals, because they are the only individuals in the family who are more vulnerable than themselves, Hermann writes. “There are definite connections between animal abuse, domestic violence and child abuse.”
In some countries, animal control agents and investigators of gender violence or violence against children must share information when they find a case, because crossing their reports has helped to carry out early interventions.
According to the model of the Wheel of Power and Control, Pet abuse is one of four tactics abusers use to intimidate their partners and families. The wheel is a tool designed in the 1980s to illustrate the cycle of domestic violence. It is part of the Duluth Model, a program created in the city of Duluth, Minnesota, to reduce aggression against women within the home.
How to report animal abuse? There are telephone, face-to-face and virtual channels; the call can be anonymous
Is it the owner’s fault? Who are usually the aggressors of animals
Researchers at Michigan State University also have something to say on this topic. There is a correlation between the types of animal abuse committed and the relationship of the perpetrator to the animal and to the owner.
For example, carelessness (not giving water or food) tends to be the work of the animal’s owner. On the other hand, when there is kicking or use of sharp weapons, the suspect is usually a family member or partner of the ownersays Laura Reese, professor of City and Regional Planning.
Reese studied more than 300 police reports of animal cruelty in Detroit between 2007 and 2015. So she and her colleagues created eight categories; are obvious dog fighting, shooting, poisoning, stabbing and carelessness. They also found that for owners’ partners, frustration with the relationship is often the cause of violence towards the animal.
“This isn’t just an animal problem, it’s a human problem,” Reese says. “For example, people who shoot other humans are very likely to shoot animals. Dog fighting is a public safety issue, while pets running loose and biting are a public health issue. So attending to human problems will help animals, and vice versa; we just have to challenge public servants to think this way.”
For veterinarians: how to distinguish accidents from animal abuse
A veterinary doctor sees a canine patient with severe rib and head injuries. The cause is unknown. Without having seen the accident, how can the professional know if, instead, there was abuse?
In this section, researchers at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine have some Recommendations for identifying patterns in animal wounds.
Using data from criminal animal abuse cases and 426 cases from Foster Hospital for Small Animals, this academic team has shown that accidental run-overs and non-accidental blunt force blows leave different types of injuries in dogs and cats.
They did it already in 2016, in the printed version of the Journal of Forensic Sciences. Many claims of vehicular accidents resulting in broken bones and soft tissue injuries are false, they concluded.
- Abused animals often have more head and rib injuries, as well as broken teeth and claw damage.
- Those who were actually hit tend to have skin abrasions or wounds in which the skin separates from the tissues, collapsed and injured lungs, and hip injuries, which could be the result of trying to flee from a moving vehicle.
- Intentional injuries usually cause rib fractures on both sides of the body.
- In hit-and-run accidents, only one side of the body is injured, usually with fractures in the ribs closest to the head.
- Victims of abuse also have evidence of old injuriesas in cases of human abuse.
“There is little documentation in the veterinary literature on the patterns of injuries that humans intentionally inflict on animals, and there is a need for more knowledge,” says study author Dr. Emily McCobb, director of the Tufts Shelter and Medicine Program. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
