No More Homeless Pets
Weekly Forum
Feb 7-11: The Link: Animal Abuse and Violence
How do we know there is a connection? Is there help for children who are abusive towards animals? How can victims of domestic violence escape abuse and save their pets too? Alison Gianotto of Pet-abuse.com is offering advice to help end the cycle of violence.
You can e-mail your questions through Thursday or join the No More Homeless Pets Forum.
Forum Introduction
From Alison Gianotto: The connections between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence are making headlines more than ever, but the real picture still remains largely unseen. The news media often use the sensational images of serial killers to emphasize the link. While it is true that virtually every serial killer has a history of animal cruelty, the connections in our own homes and communities often go unmentioned.
This link can be found in many places: the domestic abuser who uses the family pet as a controlling device, the abused child who vents his anger and frustration upon animals to regain a sense of control, the neighborhood dog-fighters instilling fear in the community by walking around with their fighting dogs.
The issue of animal cruelty goes beyond the animals themselves -- it is a public safety issue. Let's spend some time discussing this connection, the options available to victims, and what our communities can do to tackle these problems head-on.
Forum Guests
About Alison Gianotto
