How are pets used by abusers to exert power and control over their victims? In what ways are children affected by viewing and hearing animal abuse in their homes?

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts- Ontario Chapter recently published an article I wrote for their newsletter, entitled "Canaries in the Coal Mine: Pets and Family Violence." In this article, I address the above-mentioned questions and highlight the connections (the "link") among domestic violence, animal abuse, elder abuse, and child abuse. Drawing on recent research by Dr. Amy J. Fitzgerald, Associate Professor of Criminology and member of the Animal and Interpersonal Abuse Research Group (AIPARG) at the University of Windsor, I discuss the prevalence of this "link" in situations of domestic violence, and provide suggestions as to how family professionals can integrate knowledge of the "link" into their own work.

Please take a look and let me know what you think!

#pets #violence #thelink #family #domesticviolence