Children’s Observation and Experience With Their Pets

Pets in danger: Exploring the link between domestic violence and animal abuse

“…Carlisle-Frank et al (2004) found that companion animal abuse was reported by 53% of DV victims in shelters in New York, and Allen, Gallagher and Jones (2006) reported that 57% of 23 women in DV shelters in Ireland had witnessed the abuse of a companion animal. In another study, Ascione et al (2007) found that 54% of 101 DV victims interviewed in shelters in Utah reported that their partner had harmed or killed a companion animal, compared to 5% of a control group of non-DV victims. Similarly, Volant et al (2008) interviewed 102 DV victims in Australia and found that 52.9% reported the abuse of a companion animal, compared to 0% of a control group of 102 non-DV victims.…”

“…A growing body of literature indicates that domestic violence (DV) is related to companion animal abuse (e.g. Ascione, 1998;Ascione, Weber, Thompson, Heath, Maruyama & Hayashi, 2007;Boat, 2014;Carlisle-Frank, Frank & Nielsen, 2004;Faver & Strand, 2003;Flynn, 2000aFlynn, , 2000bFlynn, , 2009Hardesty, Khaw, Ridgway, Weber & Miles, 2013;Hartman, Hageman, Williams & Ascione, 2015;Hartman, Hageman, Williams, Mary & Ascione, 2016;Jorgenson & Maloney, 1999;Knight, Ellis & Simmons, 2014;McDonald, Collins, Nicotera, Hageman, Ascione, Williams, & Graham-Bermann, 2015;McDonald, Graham-Bermann, Maternick, Ascione & Williams, 2016;McPhedran, 2009;Tiplady, Walsh & Phillips, 2012;Volant. Johnson, Gullone & Coleman, 2008).…”

“…Many DV victims report strong emotional bonds with their companion animals, often describing them as family members (Ascione et al, 2007;2000b;Lacroix, 1998;Risley-Curtiss et al, 2006).…”

People of Diverse Genders and/or Sexualities Caring For and Protecting Animal Companions in the Context of Domestic Violence

“…Within this dynamic, animals can be deliberately targeted for harm by the abuser to maintain the human victim's compliance, silence, or to punish perceived wrongs committed (e.g., Collins et al 2017;DeGue & Di Lillo 2009). The close emotional bonds that exist between many human victims and their animals (e.g., Ascione et al, 2007;Fitzgerald, 2007), coupled with isolation from other sources of emotional support, means that threats of harm to beloved animals is a particularly effective abuse tactic (Upadhya, 2014). Such violence may also be an indicator of risk posed by the perpetrator, with Simmons and Lehmann (2007) finding, from their sample of 1293 women seeking refuge from male violence for themselves and their animal companions, that heterosexual cisgender men who also targeted family animals utilised a greater range, and severity, of aggressive violence, including emotional and sexual violence and stalking, than perpetrators who targeted human victims alone.…”

“…That concern for the wellbeing of their animals (or 'fellow sufferers', Fitzgerald, 2007) often results in victims delaying leaving, remaining in, or returning to violent relationships has been well documented (e.g. Ascione et al, 2007;Faver & Strand, 2003;Newberry, 2017).…”