Animal Abuse and Human Violence 
Abuse and neglect of living creatures do not occur in a vacuum. Often, if there are animals at risk in a home setting, people are at risk there as well. Acts of abuse are about power and control, regardless of the species of the victim. When a violent offender physically lashes out, any living being may become a victim. It isn�t important to the abuser if the victim has two legs or four.
Children are common victims of abuse because they are so vulnerable. For this reason, humane officers and animal control officers are required by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Sometimes children abuse animals as a way of coming to terms with their own victimization. Whenever a child is seen mistreating an animal the incident should be reported immediately.
Sometimes young adults, particularly teenage boys, engage in extremely cruel and tortuous acts against animals. These instances should never be dismissed as "high jinks" or with a "boys will be boys" attitude. Adolescent cruelty to animals is so serious, the American Psychiatric Association recognizes it as a symptom of conduct disorder. Virtually every serial killer, and most habitual violent offenders, began by torturing and killing animals. Well-known cases of school shootings were perpetrated by boys with histories of animal abuse.
Animals are used as leverage by abusers to gain compliance and silence from their victims. Victims of domestic violence may refuse to leave their abuser for fear of what will happen to the animals they are forced to leave behind. Children who are beaten or molested may be told that if they reveal their abuse, their beloved pets would be harmed. Sometimes children may even be forced by the abuser to witness, or even participate in, animal abuse. Frail elders and the developmentally disabled may be victimized as well. Dependent on others for their care, they are vulnerable at the hands of abusive perpetrators. Their situation may be as risky as their pet�s.
Save the Pets is concerned about violence against any victim, regardless of species. While we are limited in our enforcement actions to protecting animals, we seriously advocate for human victims in the home as well. We believe that by addressing violence or abuse in all aspects, we can help create a safer society for humans and animals alike.
Success Stories
We heard a complaint of an elderly woman with 39 cats living in filthy, squalid conditions. We saw that the woman suffered from dementia and was incompetent to care for herself or the cats. The mobile home was covered in feces, there were dead and dying cats, and other seriously ill cats all throughout the home. The woman herself was covered in animal waste and her hair was matted to her head. She was almost non-ambulatory due to her age and physical frailty. She had also been barricaded inside the home - a serious safety hazard - by her husband (who often lived elsewhere) to prevent her from wandering.
The woman was hospitalized for over a month and was assigned a conservator to ensure she would not fall into the same conditions. We removed the cats from the home and the husband plead guilty to ten counts of animal abuse. The situation is being monitored to ensure her safety and that no further animals are harmed.
A man tied his dog to the bumper of his car and dragged him over a mile to discipline him for running away. A good samaritan saw the dog being dragged and stopped the man. The dog was covered with blood and appeared to be dead, but upon closer inspection he realized the dog was still alive. He immediately put the dog in his car and took it to an emergency animal hospital. Unfortunately, he did not get the name or license plate of the dog's abuser.
We immediately began searching for the owner, interviewing witnesses and distributing fliers with a description of the dog and the crime.
The dog suffered severe injuries all over his body.
Meanwhile, we discovered the identity of the animal's previous owner. He was arrested and felony charges of Cruelty to Animals were filed. The suspect was found incompetent to stand trial and was sent to a state mental facility.
After nearly two months, the dog recovered from his trauma and was adopted by a loving couple.
If you witness an act of animal cruelty or if you have any information regarding cruelty incidents, please call 610-751-6582. If you see a crime in progress call 911.