"The Empathy Link" Between Humans and Animals

A few days ago, HRC’s research director Carol Glasser summarized several studies that demonstrate the connection between violence toward humans and abuse of non-human animals. The “Violence Link,” as it is often called, is well-established and is a primary focus of the Animals and Society Institute (ASI), an animal advocacy think tank and close partner of the Humane Research Council. Here I’d like to highlight some of ASI’s work on the violence link and share a blog post from ASI’s Jill Howard Church called “The Empathy Link.”

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Carol’s blog focused on the violence link and specifically the use of threats or cruelty toward animals as a tool to control domestic partners. She suggested that we can do more to identify and help the animal victims of domestic violence and support women that want to leave abusive situations with their animals. Related work by Maya Gupta is highlighted in an ASI “research nutshell” and describes differences in aggression and rejection sensitivity, concluding that “Men are more likely than women to harm animals as a means of ‘making a statement,’ while women were more likely to act out in an emotional response (and more likely against people than animals).”

Fortunately, ASI also provides at least a partial solution to help violent offenders who hurt animals. Called AniCare, the program is the first professionally developed psychological intervention program for animal abusers. It uses a “cognitive-behavioral approach” that emphasizes acknowledging accountability for one’s behavior, similar to approaches used for perpetrators of domestic violence against women and children. For more about AniCare, which has programs for both adults and youths, please visit the ASI website and read Jill’s blog post, below.

For me, it’s an encouraging piece. It helps remind all of us that the link between attitudes towards animals and humans is not limited to only violence or indifference. Animal advocates may be more likely to be more kind to humans as well, perhaps because they are more equipped to recognize suffering of all kinds. In particular, children who act with courage and empathy toward animals are the advocates of the future, be it for non-human or human causes.

The Empathy Link, by Jill Howard Church

We at the Animals and Society Institute often address what is called the "violence link," the fact that people who are violent toward animals are often prone to violence toward other human beings as well. It's been documented that children who abuse defenseless animals frequently turn into adults with a continued lack of empathy, sometimes turning into "school shooters" or in the extreme, serial killers. It is for this reason that we strongly promote our AniCare Child program, which educates social workers, counselors and others on the front lines of aberrant behavior about the need to assess and treat juvenile perpetrators of animal abuse, before it escalates further.

Sadly, there is no lack of headlines demonstrating the need for this kind of intervention. It seems that almost daily we hear of children maiming or killing animals for seemingly no reason, including those who live in the same household with them. There are multiple causes, not the least of which can be parental influence; domestic violence and child abuse can create generations of both abusers and victims in a sad and (literally) vicious cycle.

But today I read a news story that shows how sometimes it is the children who have the power to take bad circumstances in a better direction. Recently in Fayetteville, North Carolina, this week, a police officer was indicted on animal cruelty charges after his own daughter called the authorities to report that her father had buried nine newborn puppies alive in their back yard. The father wanted to kill the puppies because they were not purebred coonhounds and presumably unfit for hunting. Two of the puppies died before the daughter and a friend could rescue the rest; the pups and their mother are safely awaiting adoption to another home. The officer was either fired or resigned from the police force.

Now, I don't know how old the daughter is, but it must have taken a lot of courage to risk her father's wrath to call the police – his own co-workers – and report his awful deed. And I wonder what kind of home environment that girl had with a father who not only killed animals for sport but had no mercy for newborn puppies. But I am deeply thankful that the father's cruel example had the opposite effect on his daughter. Instead of perpetuating violence, she chose kindness. Perhaps this type of "empathy link" is the antidote for the violence link. I hope her actions will be rewarded not just with accolades but with the satisfaction of knowing that others will learn from her example and not bury their consciences the next time they have the chance to save a life.

The original blog post is available on the ASI website.