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Facts and Figures

(From Allie Phillips' SAF-T Start-Up Manual)

Twelve independent surveys have reported that between 18 percent and 48 percent of battered women have delayed their decision to leave their batterer, or have returned to their batterer, out of fear for the welfare of their pets or livestock (Ascione, 2007).
In 2010, females age 12 or older experienced about 407,700 nonfatal violent victimizations (rape/sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated or simple assault) by an intimate partner (a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend). Men experienced 101,530 nonfatal violent victimizations by an intimate partner. The percentage of female victims (22%) of intimate partner violence was about 4 times that of male victims (5%) (Truman 2011).
Approximately 4.8 million intimate partner rapes and physical assaults are perpetrated against U.S. women annually, and approximately 2.9 million intimate partner physical assaults are committed against U.S. men annually (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000).
In 2008, approximately 772,000 children were abused or neglected (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 2010).
More than 72 million homes (62%) in the U.S. currently include companion animals (APPMA, 2011).
Between 71-85 percent of women entering domestic violence shelters reported that their partner had threatened, injured or killed the family pet (Ascione, Weber, & Wood, 1997).
One of the first studies to address the co-occurrence between child abuse and animal abuse discovered that 88 percent of homes with physically abused children also included abuse or neglect of the family pet (DeViney, Dickert, & Lockwood, 1983).
In a nationwide study, more than 71 percent of battered women reported that their abusers had harmed, killed or threatened animals, and 32 percent reported that their children had harmed or killed animals (Ascione, 1997).
In a study of battered women in several northeastern states, 48 percent of respondents reported that animal abuse had occurred “often” during the past 12 months, and another 30 percent reported that the abuse occurred “almost always.” Types of animal abuse reported included punching, hitting, choking, drowning, shooting, stabbing and throwing the animal against a wall or down stairs. Respondents reported that animal cruelty incidents coincided with violent outbursts against human family members 51 percent of the time (Carlisle-Frank, Frank, & Nielsen, 2006).
A 2007 study found that women seeking refuge at a family violence shelter were nearly 11 times more likely to report that their partner had hurt/killed their pet and that shelter women were more than four times more likely to report that their pet had been threatened (Ascione et al., 2007; Volant, Johnson, Gullone & Coleman, 2008).
"Batterers who also abuse their pets are both more controlling and use more dangerous forms of violence [sexual violence, marital rape, emotional violence and stalking] than batterers who do not." (Simmons & Lehmann, 2007).
Research has shown that 62-76 percent of animal cruelty in the home occurs in front of children (Faver & Strand, 2003).
Children often intervene to protect their mothers and pets from being battered. Some children may even allow themselves to be victimized to save their pets from being harmed or killed (Edelson et al., 2003). Tragically, this behavior is often symptomatic of children’s future abuse of people (Boat, 1999).
Children who are exposed to domestic violence are nearly three times more likely to treat animals with cruelty than children who are not exposed to such violence (Currie, 2006).
In one study of battered women with children who sought shelter in a safe house, 32 percent reported that their children had hurt or killed a family pet (Ascione, 1998).
Animal cruelty committed by children is often symptomatic of future abuse toward other animals or people (Boat, 1999): 36.8 percent of boys and 29.4 percent of girls who were victims of physical and sexual abuse and domestic violence have been reported to abuse their family pet (Ascione, 2005).
Significant research has documented a relationship between childhood histories of animal cruelty and patterns of chronic interpersonal aggression (Kellert & Felthous, 1985; Hensley & Tallichet, 2005; Merz-Perez, Heide, & Silverman, 2001; Becker & French, 2004).