The Link Between Pet Abuse and Human Violence

A connection between pet abuse and human violence was identified in the United States as early as 1894 by the American Humane Association, an organization with the goal of protecting children and animals from mistreatment. American Humane now calls this connection The Link, and the group is pushing to get September recognized as National Link Awareness Month.

U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) recently introduced House Resolution 1046 to designate September as National Link Awareness Month to address The Link’s impact on abuse victims. The bill’s main points are to recognize that the link between animal cruelty and domestic violence is a national concern, and laws that recognize such link are critical in protecting countless domestic violence survivors and their pets.

“This resolution would highlight the need for more attention and resources to be focused on how violence toward animals is indicative of other violent tendencies,” Davis said in a statement. “By investigating The Link further, information could be gathered that will help mitigate social violence.”

The resolution is currently pending before the House Agriculture and Judiciary Committees with 19 co-sponsors, and American Humane is working with Davis to move the resolution to a favorable House vote soon.