Activities at the National Level Regarding the Link Between Animal Abuse and Family Violence

General Overview

A small number of national organizations are providing information and training on the Link at a national level.
There are numerous Link programs being carried out at a local level by local organizations.
Many national and local organizations provide information and resources on the Link but do not offer programs.
In general, animal-focused organizations (e.g., humane societies and animal advocacy organizations) seem to being taking the lead on the Link more than human services organizations.

Established Programs (examples)

American Humane

Englewood, CO

http://www.americanhumane.org

http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lk_home

§ Operates the National Resource Center on the Link, providing information and resources to professionals and the general public.

§ Provides seminars and workshops for human service and animal service professionals on

HSUS

Washington D.C. and regional offices

http://www.hsus.org

http://www.hsus2.org/firststrike/

First Strike: The Connection Between Animal Cruelty and Human Violence campaign was created in 1997. Aimed at promoting public and professional awareness about the Link and promoting inter-agency collaborations to reduce animal cruelty, family violence, and community violence. HSUS partners with local animal protection agencies around the US to run the workshops, which are aimed at animal shelter workers, animal control officers, social service workers, law enforcement officials, veterinarians, and educators.
List of articles, FAQs, information, etc. on Link
First Strike Campaign Kit ($8.50)
First Strike Campaign Video, 8 min ($9)
PSA video spots, two 30 sec ($18)
First Strike Directory of Violence Prevention & Intervention Programs – focused on human-animal programs
Designated the week of April 13–19, 2003 as Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week
Link e-newsletter goes out every other month
Joined with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Aging to share information on animal abuse/elder abuse connection

PSYETA

Washington Grove, MD

http://www.psyeta.org/

Focuses on examining the practice and policy implications of the relationship between human violence and animal abuse and developing the academic field of Human-Animal studies
AniCare and AniCare Child treatment models - publications and training workshops for mental health professionals on the treatment of adult and child animal abusers
Beyond Violence: The Human-Animal Connection campaign– joint project between PSYETA and Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF) to publicize the importance of the Human-Animal Connection and to provide tools to protect humans and animals
Beyond Violence: The Human-Animal Connection - a 13 minute video and discussion guide (available in English and Spanish, $19.95 & $29.95)
The Violence Connection: An Examination of the Link Between Animal Abuse and other Violent Crimes, a free booklet by DDAL for judges, prosecutors, and other legal and human service professionals. Contains information on cross-reporting between domestic violence, child abuse, and animal welfare professionals. Also provides information on treatment models for animal abusers, including AniCare and AniCare Child. (First copy is free, each additional is $1.00. Ordered from DDAL, will arrive in 2-3 weeks)
Society & Animals – quarterly journal containing articles on the Link
Member newsletter often addresses Link issues (comes out 3x/yr)
Speaker’s bureau
Resources Center includes Link materials – message boards, dissertation database, resource links, references, book lists, bibliographies
Promoting petition (developed by group of researchers) to form a new American Psychological Association Division on Human-Animal Studies

Doris Day Animal Foundation

Washington D.C.

http://www.ddaf.org/

See PSYETA section for details

Newmarket, Ontario

http://www.ospca.on.ca/

§ Launched Violence Prevention Initiative in 1997 to educate the community about the link between animal cruelty and human violence. Initiative includes raising public awareness and collaborating with a range of organizations to translate awareness into protection

§ Provide cross-training for animal and child workers to recognize human and animal abuse (Federal Parole, Children’s Aid Society (CAS), women’s shelters, elder support workers)

§ Launched Youth and Animal Pilot Project (YAPP) in 1999 - intensive 13-week rehabilitation program that matches hard-to-adopt shelter dogs with young offenders.

§ Dr. Fred Matthews of Central Toronto Youth Services developed evaluation and assessment tools for clinical evaluation of YAPP

§ Family Violence Assistance Program – works with women’s shelters to provide emergency shelter to companion animals

§ Community Anti-violence Coalitions – With the Provincial Violence Prevention Program, the Ontario SPCA and its 59 branches and affiliate societies in Ontario are helping to build community anti-violence coalitions, with a focus on the Link, across the province

§ Violence Prevention Week (started in 1998, focused on Link) features various activities each year such as conferences, fundraising walks, media launches

National Organizations (examples)

The Latham Foundation

Alameda, CA

http://www.latham.org

§ Clearinghouse for information on the Link and humane education

§ Teaching Compassion: A Guide for Humane Educators, Teachers, and Parents – book on humane education with a section devoted to handling disclosures of child and animal abuse ($19.95)

§ Breaking the Cycles of Violence – 26 min video and 64 page cross-training training manual aimed at assisting child protection, human service, domestic violence, and animal welfare professionals to identify, report, investigate, and treat interrelated forms of family violence ($29.75)

§ It's a Very Special Privilege - emphasizes the importance of animals in early childhood development and education ($15)

§ The Latham Letter - quarterly magazine contains information on preventing child abuse, animal abuse, and domestic violence, the human-animal bond, animal-assisted therapy, and humane education ($20)

Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)

Headquarters: Petaluma, CA

Anti-Cruelty Division: Portland, OR

http://www.aldf.org/

§ Use legal system to end suffering of abused animals; push for stronger enforcement of anti-cruelty laws and more humane treatment of animals; provide free legal assistance to prosecutors handling cruelty cases

§ Database of animal abuse crimes across the country (ALDF not using for Link per se, but could potentially be a useful resource for research)

§ Brief general overview of Link on ALDF website with link to short video

§ “Zero Tolerance for Cruelty” campaign includes effort to raise awareness about the links between animal abuse and violence towards humans

PETA

Norfolk, VA

www.peta.org

§ Provide information about Link

§ “Zero Tolerance for Violence” campaign - “People who are violent to animals rarely stop there”. Offer a free poster

§ Abuse Link Pack – great educational brochure for prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officers that contains information on the link between link family violence and animal abuse, animal abuse leading to violent crimes against humans, and cross-reporting legislation

People, Animals, Nature, Inc. (PAN)

Naperville, IL

http://www.pan-inc.org/

§ Safe Pets Program: Animals Can Be Victims of Domestic Violence Too – video focused on creating Safe Pet programs ($25)

C.A.R.E - Companion Animal Rescue Effort

Campbell, CA

www.carepets.org

§ Nationwide network of individuals and agencies providing resources to women and animal companions fleeing domestic violence

§ Cross-agency trainings, volunteer and educational outreach, program development, and coalition work towards change in national policies

Academia (examples)

Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy

North Grafton, MA

http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/index.html

§ Hording of Animals Research Consortium - an interdisciplinary group looking at how large-scale neglect of animals is often associated with elder abuse and neglect and child neglect. http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/index.html

Institute for Family Violence Studies, School of Social Work, Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

http://familyvio.ssw.fsu.edu/

§ Domestic Violence: A Competency-Based Training Manual for Animal Abuse Investigators – for cross-training animal abuse investigators to recognize human abuse.

§ The “Animal Abuse Investigator Training Pilot Project” started in 1/00 and trained over 90 investigators. The project also sparked cross-training efforts provide animal abuse training for domestic violence professionals.

Websites (examples)

§ Humane Link - Links about human/animal violence, abuse, neglect connection. http://humanelink.vview.org/

§ The Animal Spirit - Link information contained in Animal Abuse and The Circle of Violence sections of website; overview of ALDF’s “Zero Tolerance for Cruelty”. http://www.theanimalspirit.com/

§ Petabuse.org - Overview of pet abuse and link to domestic violence. http://www.petabuse.org/

§ American Animal Hospital Association - Pet Care Library has an overview called “The Link Between Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence”. http://www.healthypet.com/

* MetroPets Online - Comprehensive list of links to articles and information on the connection between animal abuse and human abuse. http://www.metropets.org/

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