|
|
Preface
I first became passionate about the human-animal cruelty link when working as a child protection supervisor in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. My unique partnership with the local Humane Society resulted in a research project between our two agencies; the purpose of the research was to gather statistics at a local level through cross-reporting. Data would be used to examine the link of abuse between animals and humans, potentially to serve as an educational tool in the community, and to develop programs to raise awareness of this connection. Two major themes surfaced during the course of the year-long project: (1) child protection workers either already assumed that a cruelty link existed, or contrarily were disinterested in finding out; and (2) domestic violence and animal cruelty was the emerging concern that surfaced in the cases that were substantiated by investigative agencies.
Lisa became involved with the Guelph research project through the collection and analysis of data. It was during this time that Lisa's evolving awareness of the human-animal bond resulted in her decision to commit her doctoral dissertation to further exploration of the cruelty link. The existence of a cruelty link between humans and animals seems obvious to those of us who are believers. Violence of any kind is never isolated. When examining domestic violence, it is commonplace to observe the power in the family originating with the most powerful member (usually the dominant male) to the least powerful (most often the