Link Between Violence to Animals and Violence to Humans Studied at DU

Posted By Dawn Kairns, Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life

Based on DU Study Ahead By a Cold, Wet Nose by John Davidson, The Denver Post, April 10, 2010:

According to John Davidson in his article DU study ahead by a cold, wet nose published in the Denver Post, a groundbreaking program at the University of Denver is "exploring the many ways people and pets are connected. The emerging results could reshape practices in social work, law enforcement and public policy, according to leaders of DU’s Institute for Human-Animal Connection.”

The executive director of the institute, Frank Ascione, has been looking into “the link between violent behavior to humans and violence to animals. Ascione was part of a study that "documented cases of violent husbands harming family pets to torment abused wives.” He testified awhile back in Colorado in behalf of a bill to include pets in domestic restraining orders.

As part of the people/pet study, students in DUs Graduate School of Social Work also "documented the positive impact of using therapy animals to teach responsibility and anger control to at risk children.” Although these connections may be obvious, the science behind them is novel and important according to the dean of the Graduate School of Social Work, James Herbert Williams.

The support of the American Humane Association and the Animal Assistance Foundation is credited by Williams for the Institute success, but all of these Denver organizations have brought so much to the table.

“Institute staffers are working on two new efforts: enlisting experts from around the world of fellows and then posting their studies at Humananimalconnection.com, and conducting a painstaking study of public and social institutions in Colorado to come up with a better understanding of how animal abuse cases are handled.” It is called the Colorado Link Project, and they are trying to individually target social welfare, law enforcement and the judicial system.

Researchers will look at animal cruelty cases to determine 'how they are investigated, what control the investigator has, what does and doesn’t get investigated, how they are prosecuted and what penalties are handed down,' in order to improve practices in each step.

Graduate students can work with kids in a program, Pawsitive Connection, that teaches them how to train dogs while learning compassion and responsibility for animals.

The Link Between Animal and Human Abuse: Michael Vick Should Not Be in a Role Model Position

Although I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to a job after release from prison, I don't believe Michael Vick should be back in the NFL, where sports figures are modeled and revered by children and teens as well as adults. Even though he may eventually help the cause of animals, I don't feel we really know that yet, and placing him in such a high profile, public eye "job" seems inappropriate to me.

It's been shown that there is a link between those who abuse animals and their eventual, if not concurrent, abuse of people in their lives. Wives. Girlfriends. Children. Abusing animals is horrible in and of itself, and it's also a red flag of what's most likely to come next. This is the even more cruel truth about animal cruelty. According to American Humane, "a crime against an animal should never be taken lightly ... cruel in its own right ... a sign that the perpetrator could be capable of hurting people, too."

I agree, and this is one of my concerns about Michael Vick given the heinous crimes he committed against helpless dogs. Yes, he deserves a job, but to be placed where he, as a sports figure, is revered, cheered, and paid millions of dollars? Shouldn't the NFL hold their players to a higher standard and be empowered to say "No" to Vick for life?

You can learn more about The Link between animal and human abuse at http://www.americanhumane.org/human-animal-bond/programs/the-link-of-violence/

Some states allow pets to be included in domestic-violence protective orders. Find out about your state at The Link and advocate for legislation that protects animal victims of abuse in your state.

Very sadly, some animal abuse perpetrators begin in childhood. Teachers and parents need to educate themselves on the signs a troubled child displays who may be abusing animals or who have this penchant for violence. According to American Humane, "statewide coalitions in Maine, Rhode Island, Delaware and New Mexico, as well as groups in cities such as Boston, Phoenix, Colorado Springs and San Antonio, have formed to spread awareness of The Link and increase the likelihood of identifying where and when violence may be occurring. More communities need to take action ... It’s important that judges and juries understand The Link when evaluating abusers’ behavior."

I hope that future abuse will not be the case for Michael Vick and the people in his life. I hope he truly is remorseful, can be successfully rehabilitated, and become a true champion for animals. But that remains to be seen. Somehow I'd believe in Vick's intentions with the Humane Society of the United State more if he made stopping dog fighting and animal cruelty his cause without the motive of returning to the NFL. Time will tell.

Posted By:

Dawn Kairns
Author of MAGGIE the dog who changed my life: A Story of Love
www.dawnkairns.com
www.maggiethedogwhochangedmylife.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/themaggiebook