When children are abused and exposed to domestic violence, they may become abusers themselves. Twenty-three percent of youths in the juvenile justice system reported torturing or hurting animals in the past year. Children may act out the abuse they see adults committing or they may re-enact abuses they have suffered themselves. Some children have been known to practice their own suicide through killing an animal. Others have admitted to killing their pets in a more humane way rather than allow them to suffer at the hands of a batterer.

Several studies have found that men who abuse their wives are more likely to abuse their children and household pets. Ascione (1998) found that forty percent of women who visited domestic violence shelters reported that their batterers had also abused their pets. Others have found that on average, 76% of abused women with pets report that their pets are abused by the batterer. Twenty-eight percent reported that their children were abusing the animals as well.

As with children, a neglected or abused animal can draw attention to a hidden abuse or neglected elder. Often an elderly victim would never venture outdoors and has no visitors making them unnoticed victims. An abused pet will be a red flag that help is needed inside. In cases such as these, animals make the ultimate sacrifice in leading their families to intervention.

Clearly, animal abuse often coexists with domestic violence and in many cases is a precursor to violence against humans. In short, where we find animal abuse, we are also likely to find human abuse or domestic violence. If those suspected of animal abuse can be checked for domestic violence, perhaps this cycle of violence can be interrupted.