Animal abuse is a crime. However, in the world of law enforcement and in the larger world our laws are designed to govern, animal cruelty issues have been more of a peripheral concern, often leaving animal-related offenses in the hands of animal control or other Humane Society organizations. Meanwhile family violence and other human-related crimes are typically handled by human services agencies.
Professionals in these fields have had little encouragement to work together — until now.
Today, there is an undeniable link between abusive acts towards animals and crimes involving humans, including domestic violence, child and elder abuse, gambling, illegal firearms possession and drug trafficking. When animals are abused, people are at risk; when people are abused, animals are at risk. Knowing these forms of violence are linked, it is important the agencies involved understand their role in communicating, collaborating and reporting with each other.
Violence towards animals, just as with humans, can take the form of physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect. While most animal cruelty investigations involve unintentional neglect, many uncover intentional neglect and abuse. Recently in the news in Georgia, a professional sports player allegedly kicked and killed his girlfriend’s dog in an act of domestic violence. In DeKalb County, there was a story about a dog being hung over a bridge intentionally, and in Fulton County, a story about 132 dead and rotting cats inside a home in an affluent neighborhood in Alpharetta.
In the national news, we heard about how a former TV news employee in Virginia killed his own two cats and buried them in his back yard before shooting and killing his former colleagues on live television.
These stories are just the tip of the iceberg.
The status of animal abuse is that it’s very real and very pervasive in our society. It permeates all ages and socioeconomic statuses. In domestic violence, child abuse and elder abuse cases, actual or threatened animal abuse can be a way to demonstrate power and control over the family, or a way for the abuser to silence victims about the incident. Hoarding animals, especially by elders, has been linked to mental illness and public health and safety concerns, demanding coordinated efforts of multiple local agencies. Dog-fighting is a dangerous problem that has been linked to guns, gangs, drugs and gambling.
And it’s not just about intentional acts of violence. Many elders try to provide loving care for their pets, but lack the financial resources to do so. As a result, many companion animals suffer, or the person neglects his or her own well-being to take care of an animal. Children who witness animal abuse and neglect can have devastating lifelong emotional issues and could also, in turn, grow up to perpetuate the abuse.
The biggest problem in Georgia is we are not unified in the way we handle these cases. There is a lack of understanding about how to process cases within the system, and how to cross-report concerns across agencies. Training on these issues is vital. Our conference aims to do just that.
The 2015 Animal Law & Enforcement/Animal Shelter Symposium will be held Wednesday and Thursday at the State Bar of Georgia Conference Center in Atlanta. Details about the event can be found on our new website, www.animallawsource.org. The purpose of our conference is to educate prosecutors, law enforcement, animal control officers, veterinarians, shelter staff and other professions and agencies about the importance of a coordinated community response to cases involving animals. The public is invited.
In addition, our conference will provide an array of experts. One of our goals is to put their presentations on our website so people can watch this valuable training from their own offices.
Our Animal Law website also is a resource for all professionals in animal-related fields. It is a way for us to communicate, collaborate and come together to combat very real problems in our communities by understanding the dynamics of animal abuse. There is a tab for the general public as well, as they are an important part of the collaboration.
People often want to know what they can do to help. We tell them it is important to take all forms of violence seriously: Report animal abuse or any kind of animal neglect; support your local animal shelter and adopt your next pet from one; spay and neuter your animals; and talk with your children about being kind to animals — and teach them that by example.
Claudine Wilkins, an attorney who has worked on hundreds of animal-abuse cases, founded the Animal Law Section of the Georgia Bar. Jessica Rock is vice chair of the Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, and a member of the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the National Coalition on Violence Against Animals.
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