Buddy is thinking about next month's column. Actually
he's wondering, "when are we going to the park?"

I grew up in an abusive home where my father abused not only us three children, but our pets as well. He physically abused us until we were teenagers. Then he turned his anger towards hurting my mother.  We called the police, but there were no child abuse laws to protect us kids and certainly none for my cat that dad pushed off the couch. Daisy, the cat died from a broken neck. I was a 10 year old girl that felt terrorized and bewildered.  I imagine the fear is the same for children in abusive homes who have pets in today’s world.

Another time my dad kicked one of our dogs like a football across the room.  I was terrorized to the point of being unable to speak. The dog disappeared shortly thereafter.  My dad said it had to be put to sleep because it was ill.  On another occasion dad tossed our cat over the balcony of the second floor because he told the cat not to go up on the balcony. The cat survived but I still have visions of that terrified animal.

The last straw was when he picked up a Samoyan Husky and threw the dog into the back yard and hurt the poor animal. I was an adult then and visiting my dad.  I screamed at my dad that I was reporting him for animal abuse. I told him he was an abuser and did not deserve to own an animal. I did call the authorities and the dog was removed. I never really spoke to my dad much after that.

I have my own pet now and I could never harm Buddy in any way.  What makes people so awful that they take out their anger on innocent animals?

Later in life my dad owned a cat that he truly loved and it too had a tragic ending. A final irony happened to my dad’s cat when it died as it got trapped under the garage door as it was being closed.   The cat was stuck for three days and no one heard it crying. How ironic it is that he could finally become attached to a cat and lose it in such a manner. He was saddened by the loss of his cat.  My dad passed away about a year after his cat.

Anyone who commits acts of violence against women, children, elders, or pets needs to be incarcerated, have counseling or get immediate help.

There are many cases where a victim chooses to remain with a batterer rather than abandon a beloved pet.  The reason is because most Domestic Violence Shelters do not allow those fleeing a violent situation to bring their pets with them.

“Terrorizing” is threats directed towards loved ones or objects.  Batterers use terrorizing threats in many cases to gain control over the battered woman.

In the Battered Partner Shelter Survey done in Utah women in the battered shelter were interviewed after they had entered the shelter and after a few days passed and the initial crisis had passed.  They were interviewed about their pets.  The women were appreciative that someone cared to ask about their pets.

The questions asked by the BPSS included the following questions:

• Do you now have a pet animal or animals? If yes, what kind.
• Have you had a pet animal or animals in the past 12 months? What kinds.
• Has your partner ever hurt or killed one of your pets? If yes, describe.
• Has your partner ever threatened to hurt or kill one of your pets? Describe.
• Have you ever hurt or killed one of your pets? Describe.
• Have any of your children ever hurt or killed one of your pets? Describe.
• Did concern over your pet’s welfare keep you from coming to this shelter sooner?

This website has the complete document to start your own “Pet Safe Haven for Dogs and Cats” and includes more information about this survey and other surveys and research done in this field.

http://www.vachss.com/guest_dispatches/ascione_safe_havens.pdf

Results of the Survey:

• 74 % women owned pets in the last 12 months prior to entering the shelter.
• 68 % owned more than one pet.
• 71 % reported that their male partner had threatened to hurt, kill, and/or had actually hurt or killed one or more of their pets.  Threats to do horrible things to their pets were used to terrorize the women.
• 57 % reported that one of their pets had been harmed or killed, neglected or refused Veterinary care by the male partner.  These acts of violence included shaking, slapping, throwing, or shooting of the dog or cat.
• 7 % of women reported harming their own pets by accident.  One dog was run over with the truck as he chased the women racing out of the driveway. Another cat was stepped on by accident in the scuffle of the violence.
• 32 % of the women had children who hurt or killed their pets. In 71 % of these cases involving children, the male batterer had threatened to harm the pet in front of the children.
• 18 % of women with pets did not come to the shelter sooner out of concern for their pets.

The rate of partner cruelty to animals is a clear cause for concern in our society.

Some batterers have held their victims pets as hostage or threatened to kidnap their pets.  Some women have abandoned their pets in shelters instead of leaving them as prey for batters

Domestic Violence Shelters need to be prepared to accommodate the victim of spousal abuse who own pets.  They should ask questions about whether the animals have also been abused. And lastly provide safe boarding places or temporary foster homes to shelter these pets.

There should be confidentiality clauses to protest the pets that are being boarded from having the abuser claim the pet.  The abuser uses the pet as a way to further intimidate and coerce his partner.

How To Create Safe Haven’s For Pets:

Thanks to Frank R. Ascione Ph.D. at the department of Psychology at Utah State University a document was drafted and is being used as the model for Safe Havens For Pets. You can reach Dr.  Ascione at (435) 797-1464  in Utah.

This document he put together is 307 pages and filled with information, stories, forms, documentation and all the outlines and guidelines needed to start a program in your own community. He allows you to download all this for free. A lot of thought went into preparing such an important piece of work.

There was a disabled woman who was turned away from the battered womans shelter with her guide dog.  She went home to her batterer and he continued to hurt her and the dog. Not a pretty picture.

A few shelters have set up programs for pets to be cared for at animal welfare facilities, foster homes, Vet clinics, and private kennels. 

When women call police during a crisis the police should routinely ask if they have pets, and are they concerned for their pets safety. This would give the officers some insight as to whether the victim is afraid to leave the batterer and put the animal in harms way.

There are other issues concerning who actually owns the pet. Also other issues on how to counsel these battered women and children about pet loss and separation.

A note about what researchers have noted about women who leave their batterers.  Leaving a batterer is a process, not usually a one time decision.  Many women leave and return to their batterer with their pet’s welfare in mind. Some women love their pets enough to put their own selves in harms way.

Shelters with these Safe Haven For Pet’s programs in place have provided some women the ability to be able to leave their batterers and continue employment without worrying about their pets, get their own home or apartment, and put their lives back together and still keep their beloved pets.

The stress of being in a battered women’s shelter is uncomfortable enough without having to worry about your pet’s safety and welfare. Even though the shelter is a safe place, just being displaced from your home and belongings creates anxiety and fears beyond the issues already faced with the batterer. The displaced pet has feelings too.

There are other reasons we need more Safe Havens For Pets all over this country.  When there are natural disasters, hurricanes, large fires where loss of homes and property were destroyed displaced pets need shelter.  The folks that go to shelters also need a place for their pets.  Some families in temporary crisis need a safe place to temporarily keep their pets.

The Pet Safe Have model by Frank Ascione is well thought out and a great resource for local agencies to start up their own programs. His guide has everything you need to start a program in your area. Please tell others you know who are animal advocates to read this column and look at the Pet Safe Have Model mentioned here.

A special thanks to Dr. Ascione.  Frank.Ascione@usu.edu

Dr. Ascione received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgetown University in 1969 and his doctoral degree in developmental psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1973.  He is a professor in the Department of Psychology and adjunct professor in Family and Human Development at Utah State University (USU).  Dr. Ascione has published numerous articles on the development of antisocial and prosocial behavior in children, co-edited two books Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence: Readings in Research and Application (1998), Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Animal Abuse: Linking the Circles of Compassion for Prevention and Intervention (1998), both published by Purdue University Press, and authored Safe Havens for Pets: Guidelines for Programs Sheltering Pets for Women who are Battered. 

Ascione,F. R. (2005).  Children and Animals:Exploring the Roots of Kindness and Cruelty. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press.  Sponsored by the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust and American Humane Association.

Forthcoming in 2008 ....  Ascione, F. R. (Ed.), International handbook of animal abuse and cruelty: Theory, research, and application. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press. Sponsored by the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust.

PUBLISHED  1998
Lockwood, R. & Ascione, F.R.
Cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence:Readings in research and application.Purdue University Press
1 800 247-6553
 
Published 1999,
Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Animal Abuse: Linking the Circles of Compassion for Prevention and Intervention.
Frank R. Ascione and Phil Arkow (Eds.)
Purdue University Press. [A PROJECT OF THE LATHAM
FOUNDATION]

Published January, 2000 Ascione, F.R. Safe Havens for
Pets:Guidelines for Programs Sheltering Pets for Women
who are Battered. Logan, UT: Author.  Sponsored by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
All hard copies of this book have been distributed. 

Thanks to Andrew Vachss, a PDF version can be accessed by going to the following site: http://www.vachss.com/guest_dispatches/safe_havens.html

Next month I will report on the Safe Havens For Pets programs already in place around the country. Thanks for reading my column. Pass it along to someone; leave me a comment and a rating. Thanks to Buddy the Dog for helping his mom write this months column. He gave me the idea for this column since he was once one of these dogs in distress.