LEGISLATION - Pet and Women Safety Act Offers Hope to Victims

Domestic violence is an epidemic that impacts people regardless of age, economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion or nationality.

According to statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women and one in four men suffer violence from an intimate partner at some point in their lives.

However, domestic violence disproportionately impacts women in relationships with men, and according to the 2014 Special Report on Nonfatal Domestic Violence, women were significantly more likely to face “serious domestic violence” than men – 37% versus 10%. As well, 76% of incidents of intimate partner violence were directed against women.

Compounding the problem is the fact that according to the Urban Resource Institute, 40% of domestic violence victims stay with abusers out of fear of what might happen to their pets if they left them behind.

When victims are unable to bring their pets with them, they are often effectively held hostage by the abuser’s threats and violence against their pet. Abusers often threaten pets, children, and other loved ones in an effort to maintain control of their victim.

A new bill proposed by Reps. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) offers hope for victims of domestic violence.

The bill, called the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act, would prohibit threats or acts of violence against pets, and would demand that perpetrators pay for the veterinary costs for pets of a domestic violence survivor.

The bill doesn’t just focus on individual survivors and their pets, it also provides funding for housing programs and support services.

The link between domestic violence and violence against pets is very real.

In studies as far back as 1983, this link has been found again and again. One study found that in 88% of families where child abuse was a factor, companion animal abuse was also present.

A 2004 study conducted by researchers in Alberta, Canada confirmed earlier research and found that animal abuse is frequently present in situations of domestic violence, and that fears for animal safety can cause victims to delay the decision to seek shelter.

Although there is still a deficit in co-sheltering facilities across North America, the PAWS Act would make it possible for more victims of domestic violence to leave an abusive situation without leaving their pets behind.

By Tiffany Sostar

Tiffany is a writer, editor, academic, and animal lover who came late to her appreciation of pets. At 18, a rescue pup named Tasha saved her from a depression and she hasn't looked back. She has worked as the canine behaviour program coordinator for the Calgary Humane Society, and was a dog trainer specializing in working with fearful and reactive dogs for many years. She doesn't have any pets right now, but makes up for it by giving her petsitting clients (and any dogs she comes across on her frequent coffee shop adventures) extra snuggles.

WELFARE - Is Tennessee Animal Abuse Registry First of Many?

In an effort to tackle the issue of animal abuse, the state of Tennessee launched the country’s first statewide animal abuse registry in January of 2016; animal advocates are hopeful other states will soon follow suit.

The registry publishes details that include the offender’s name, address and photograph for those convicted of animal abuse; first-time offenders will remain on the list for two years, second-time offenders for five. This is with respect to companion animals (not livestock) such as cats and dogs.

Those who make the list would be ineligible to adopt from shelters.

While registries exist in cities across the U.S., this is the first statewide registry. Similar bills are being considered in New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts and Michigan.

Those who oppose it argue that registries, much like sex offender registries, do not achieve lowered rates of offenders and that the act of shaming offenders by displaying their personal information may not act as a deterrent.

For proponents of registries, the main goal is to prevent convicted offenders from attaining, and hurting, more animals. 

For Calgary forensic veterinarian, Dr. Margaret Doyle, an animal abuse registry "would be great, but is a long way down the road" for Alberta, Canada.

Doyle said veterinarians in the province of Alberta currently have ‘an ethical, not legal, obligation to report suspected abuse to law enforcement’. She would like to see this made mandatory to aid in a better workflow among animal health professionals and law enforcement, and to see better inter provincial sharing of information; these are all steps that would have to precede a Canada-wide registry or even provincial ones.

In Calgary alone, the Animal Cruelty Investigations unit at the Calgary Humane Society (CHS) has an annual file load of 1300-1600 investigations, and unit peace officer Brad Nichols confirms that “while the numbers have not varied too much (over the last few years), the legitimacy and complexity of those investigations has increased substantially.”

The peace officers of this division are a big part of the public education piece in Calgary on animal abuse and neglect, but these officers also have the authority to seize animals, lay charges, as well as to draft and execute their own search warrants (an authority more peace officers or ground-level police do not have); this unit works very closely with the Calgary Police Services, with a strong work flow and sharing of intelligence and resources.

Nichols attributes this increase to a ‘more informed public’ and an increased awareness of public knowledge of the CHS division that has grown from two to five officers over the last 10 years. He would like to see some changes, including better definitions, to the Animal Protection Act, to help his team do their job better.

“Increasing the penalty sections in legislation would accomplish nothing. Courts are imposing average fines 5-10% of the maximum, so an increase would be of no consequence,” he explained.

“We are pretty lucky in Calgary as far as resources and I can proudly say that we have never closed a case without exhausting viable investigation techniques such as costly forensics.”

Nichols said they currently publish prohibited offenders, but an animal abuse registry would require the cooperation and pooling of resources among peace officers and police agencies.

Perhaps as technology continues to advance, better resource and information sharing among agencies and between provinces would become a less daunting task.

By Lindsay Seewalt

Lindsay is an experienced journalist and mother of three whose heart and home is always open to a four-legged friend. With her Corgi, Angie, as household editor-in-chief, Lindsay gives back to the animal planet through the written word on anything and all ado about pets. She is passionate about topics regarding animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, which she aims to instill in both her readers and children to be compassionate animal lovers who are conscious and considerate that furry friends around the globe deserve a voice.

RESEARCH - Identifying Animal Abuse Injuries

A study recently published in Forensic Sciences may provide some criteria to help veterinarians differentiate between accidental and non-accidental injuries.

For forensic veterinarian, Dr. Margaret Doyle of the Riverbend Animal Clinic, it’s a step in the right direction.

“There is no forensic training in distinguishing accidental from non-accidental injury for vets,” said Doyle, who is the only practicing forensic veterinarian in Calgary, and has investigated hundreds of cases of animal abuse and neglect since beginning her work with the Calgary Humane Society Animal Protection Officers in 2010.

Much like a coroner, Doyle provides her specialty as a forensic vet to assist in legal investigations and to help inform lawyers and judges through autopsies, post-mortem and crime scene analysis in cases where animal abuse or neglect is suspect.

This study, “Characterization and Comparison of Injuries Caused by Accidental and Non-Accidental Blunt Force Trauma in Cats and Dogs”, has Doyle – who has given lectures on the topic of animal abuse and neglect and how vets can better recognize the signs - hopeful that more research in this area is on the way and will serve to educate animal health practitioners and lead to better resources for cases where abuse or neglect has been established.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The findings indicate that animals that suffered abuse had more head injuries, tooth fractures, rib fractures and claw damage; whereas ‘Pets involved in motor vehicle accidents tended to suffer skin abrasions or injuries involving tearing of the skin from underlying tissue, lung collapse and bruising, and hind end injury, the last possibly as a result of running away from a moving vehicle.’

According to Doyle, contrary to what the general public may believe, vets may be the last person to recognize abuse - as it’s difficult to imagine cruelty when you’re working with animals you feel so passionately about every day.

“We literally take our work home with us - there isn’t a vet who hasn’t brought an animal home to be monitored overnight – it’s hard for us to conceive of abuse to an animal,” she said, adding that she wants vets to have a network in place so they feel comfortable questioning a situation where they feel their animal in care may be in a situation of abuse.

In cases of neglect there are many that are simply not black and white, as there are instances when a pet owner may not be able to recognize or establish their pet was in pain versus outright neglecting their pet.

Doyle said currently in the province of Alberta there is only an ethical, not a legal, obligation to report cases of animal abuse and neglect.

While she is disappointed the province has not followed suit with several other provinces that make reporting such cases a legal obligation, she said as a clinical practitioner she is aware of the consequences mandatory reporting can have on a business – including staff being threatened by pet owners they have reported and the stresses that are associated with confronting animal owners in situations where abuse in suspect.

By Lindsay Seewalt

Lindsay is an experienced journalist and mother of three whose heart and home is always open to a four-legged friend. With her Corgi, Angie, as household editor-in-chief, Lindsay gives back to the animal planet through the written word on anything and all ado about pets. She is passionate about topics regarding animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, which she aims to instill in both her readers and children to be compassionate animal lovers who are conscious and considerate that furry friends around the globe deserve a voice.

Tipsters move onto TO

A new hotline to anonymously report cases of animal abuse was unveiled in Toronto on Monday. 

Paw Tipsters, a non-profit organization, partnered with Winnipeg Crime Stoppers in 2012 to combat animal abuse. Anonymous tips about puppy mills, dog fighting and animal cruelty and neglect are received by Crime Stoppers. Tips are investigated and if evidence of abuse is uncovered, there is a cash reward. 

"Since we started it, I always though it would be something that would be good to have right across Canada," said Winnipeg Paw Tipsters president Yvonne Russell. "I thought Toronto would be a great starting point and we already have a working relationship with Crime Stoppers so it was easy for Toronto Crime Stoppers to jump on board." 

VISIT PAW TIPSTERS WEBSITE

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