The Links Group

PO Box 5816, MILTON KEYNES, MK10 1DB

In November, 2001, Intervet UK broke new ground by hosting the landmark Forging the Link conference in London (Intervet UK, 2001). The event helped introduce the concept of the links between animal abuse and other forms of family violence to wider audiences throughout the U.K., and served to announce such important developments as a collaborative program between the RSPCA and NSPCC (Arkow, 2003a; NSPCC, 2001).

Six years later, how have we progressed? What are the newest developments in the field? And where are we going?

The formation of The Links Group is testimony to the renaissance of interest in animal abuse as an under-utilized marker for family violence and of the multidisciplinary interest, across a platform of many social service fields, in the topic. A growing global movement, including the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada, is launching innovative Link research and programming; audiences in Spain, Austria, Italy, Japan, Brazil and elsewhere have heard the message and may soon join the movement.

1- The U.S. is currently witnessing a proliferation of legislative efforts to include pets under the aegis of domestic violence protection orders. In 2006, three of our 50 states enacted laws allowing courts the power to recognize pets and livestock as potential victims of domestic violence and to be included in protection orders; in the Spring of 2007, at least 13 other states have introduced similar legislation. Intriguingly, some of these bills link animal abuse with domestic violence stalking; and one bill would also include pets in protection orders for child abuse as well (Arkow & Phillips, 2007).

2 – In 2005, Canada joined the U.K., U.S., and New Zealand in implementing a code of ethics for veterinarians who suspect animal abuse. The Canadian system is unique in that it emphasizes that veterinarians have a moral responsibility to report suspected animal cruelty, and encouraged local veterinary associations to lobby their provincial governments to make this a legal responsibility as well, with immunity for good-faith reporting (Arkow, 2005).

These two developments portend more widespread acceptance, by the public, the media, legislators and professional groups, of animal abuse as being inextricably intertwined with family violence and, in fact, as much of a human welfare issue as an animal welfare concern.

1 – Animal abuse is a human welfare concern, part of the continuum of family violence, and humane and human services providers must be cross-trained to interface with each other.

2 – Animal abuse perpetrated by youths is no longer being excused but is being recognized as a serious threat and often a dress rehearsal for interpersonal violence.

3 – When animals are abused, people are at risk; when people are abused, animals are at risk.

4 – Ironically, the very animals that are harmed have the power to heal, and a growing array of animal-assisted interventions hold great promise in helping at-risk youth and juvenile offenders (Arkow, 2006).

An intriguing trend in Link work comes from Australia, where researchers (Wood, Giles-Corti, Bulsara & Bosch, 2007; Wood, Giles-Corti & Bulsara, 2005) have demonstrated that the individual health benefits long associated with pets may extend to the community level as well, with pets being seen as enhancing what Robert Putnam (2000) famously popularized as “social capital.” Focusing on the positive public and community health aspects of pets may once again insert the Link more readily into human welfare and legislative agendas.

This theme recurs in other recent research attempting to identify the rates and values of pet companionship in American minority communities, whose attitudes toward animals have rarely been studied. Also, new findings have uncovered disturbing correlations between the ownership of dangerous dogs and the commission of other crimes (Barnes, J.E., Boat, B.W., Putnam, F.W., Dates, H.F. & Mahlman, A.R. (2006), and inordinately high rates of participation by urban youth at dogfights (Cleveland, 2006).

Two of the most exciting new developments have been: the introduction of a nation-wide child abuse/animal abuse cross-reporting system in New Zealand; and the publication of the first veterinary forensics textbook (Sinclair, Merck & Lockwood, 2006) to assist practitioners with the clinical identification of what Helen Munro called at the first Intervet conference “Non-Accidental Injury” (Munro & Thrusfield, 2001).

While predicting the future of the movement is admittedly challenging in a rapidly-emerging field, several directions seem to be incipient:

- Greater interest in animal abuse by psychologists and sociologists, leading to the introduction of Link curricula to train the next generation of social workers (Shapiro, 2004)

- Inclusion of animal law in more than 50 U.S. law schools, opening up many new frontiers not only in civil laws that impart greater consideration for animals’ interests, but also in criminal prosecutions and greater respect for anti-cruelty and link legislation as being significant (Livingston, 2001)

- Greater recognition by the law enforcement community that histories of animal abuse are better predictors for homicide, sexual assault, domestic violence and firearms offenses than were previously believed (Chicago Crime Commission, 2004; Clarke, 2002)

- Increased involvement by the veterinary profession, with attention paid to practice management, confidentiality, forensics, and peer/professional support concerns (Patronek, 2004)

- The need for greater uniformity in definitions, reporting, databases and statistics among animal shelters

- Greater integration of animal protection organizations into networks of human service providers (Walker et al., 2004)

- More targeted humane education efforts and animal-assisted interventions for at-risk youth (Arkow, 2003b)

- Ongoing introduction of the Link into training and continuing education for a variety of professional groups

Link proponents continue to face their share of challenges, but progress is being made. Already we are seeing animal protection organizations raising funds to build pet housing in women’s shelters, and web site databases are capturing cases for statistical analyses. This is an exciting time to be at the forefront of a growing movement, and the U.K. is contributing to our growing recognition of the Link as a critical lens through which to focus the work of child abuse, animal abuse, domestic violence and elder abuse agencies.

Arkow, P. (2003a). Groundbreaking legislation in Great Britain: British vets take major step forward in reporting suspected family violence. Latham Letter 24(2), 12-13.

Arkow, P (2003b). Breaking the Cycles of Violence: A Guide to Multi-Disciplinary Interventions. A Handbook for Child Protection, Domestic Violence and Animal Protection Agencies. Alameda, CA: Latham Foundation.

Arkow, P. (2005). Canadian veterinarians adopt strategic policy on reporting animal abuse. Latham Letter 26(3), 11.

Arkow, P. (2006). The connection between animal abuse and human violence. Pet Gazette Nov. 29.

Arkow, P. & Phillips, A. (2007). Expanding Protective Orders to Include Companion Animals. Englewood, Colo.: American Humane Association.

Barnes, J.E., Boat, B.W., Putnam, F.W., Dates, H.F. & Mahlman, A.R. (2006). Ownership of high-risk (“vicious”) dogs as a marker for deviant behaviors. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 21(12), 1616-1634.

Chicago Crime Commission (2004). RAV2: Reduce animal violence, reduce all violence: A program to amplify human and animal violence prevention and reduction by targeting dog fighting and animal cruelty. Action Alert (August), 1-5

Clarke, J. P.(2002). New South Wales police animal cruelty research project. Sydney, Australia: Unpublished report, New South Wales Police Service.

Cleveland, S. (2006). Dog fighting and youth: Effects, consequences, and tools for intervention. Presentation at American Humane Annual Conference, Schaumburg, IL, Sept. 29.

Intervet UK (2001). Forging the Link: How to Recognise Animal Abuse in Your Practice. Walton, Milton Keynes, UK: Intervet.

Livingston, M. (2001). Desecrating the ark: Animal abuse and the law's role in prevention. University of Iowa Law Review 87(1), October, 7-72.

Munro, H. M.C. & Thrusfield, M. V. (2001). 'Battered pets': features that raise suspicion of non-accidental injury. Journal of Small Animal Practice 42, 218-226 (May).

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (2001). Understanding the Links: Child Abuse, Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence -- Information for Professionals. London, UK: NSPCC.

Patronek, G. J. (2004). Animal cruelty, abuse and neglect. In, L. Miller & S. Zawistowski (eds.): Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff. Ames, IA: Blackwell, pp. 427-452.

Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Shapiro, K. J. (2004). AniCare Child: An approach to the assessment and treatment of children who abuse animals. Protecting Children 19(1), 24-28.

Sinclair, L., Merck, M. & Lockwood, R. (2006). Forensic Investigation of Animal Cruelty: A Guide for Veterinary and Law Enforcement Professionals. Washington, DC: Humane Society of the U.S.

Walker, R., Anderson, T., Holmes, C., Stafford, J. & Gottrich, A. (2004). The Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team [DVERT]: A coordinated response to domestic violence, child maltreatment, and animal abuse. Protecting Children 19(1), 29-37.

Wood, L., Giles-Corti, B., Bulsara, M.K., & Bosch, D.A. (2007). More than a furry companion: The ripple effect of companion animals on neighborhood interactions and sense of community. Society and Animals 15, 43-56.

Wood, L., Giles-Corti, B. & Bulsara, M. (2005). The pet connection: Pets as a conduit for social capital? Social Science and Medicine 61, 1159-1173.