• Abusers often threaten to and do abandon family pets as a means
    of coercing and punishing victims of domestic violence.

 • Animals are taken deep into the woods and deserted.

 • Sometimes new litters of puppies or kittens are left in ditches or
    garbage cans to die.

 • Pets are thrown out of the home by abuser.

 • Pets are abandoned in other neighborhoods by abuser.

 • Abusers threaten to give away a pet if the victim does not comply
    with his demands.

 • Neglecting animals or forcing other family members to neglect
    them is another way for batterers to punish their victims.

 • Batterers may not allow family members to feed the pets.

 • Batterers may control the family money and refuse to allow for
    the purchase of pet food.

 • Neglecting to feed and water farm animals can cause economic stress
    as animals die. Without eggs, milk, or meat to consume or sell, a
    family may suffer severe economic hardship.

 • Beating pets in front of family members, causing harm to the animal
    and severe emotional distress to the human family members.

 • Slamming animals against walls, kicking them.

 • Breaking animals’ bones.

 • Refusing to let injured animals see a veterinarian.

 • Children harm pets with “pecking order abuse” as they abuse those
    smaller than themselves.

 • Children will often hurt pets as a way to feel power over someone in
    the same way the abuser has power over them.

 • Children often re-enact the roles of their parents to experience
    grown-up feelings, e.g. playing house, dress up, etc.

 • Children will repeat behaviors they observe.

 • Giving food or drugs to animals to make them sick such as
    chocolate to dogs and aspirin to cats.

 • Children identify with their abuser and begin to abuse pets as they
    do. It can be safer to identify with and behave like the abusive parent.

 • Making a severely asthmatic woman live with long-haired pets.

 • Verbally intimidating and emotionally abusing pets or causing
    extreme anxiety in the animal.

 • Pets can be injured while attempting to protect the victim from the abuser.

 • Threatening to harm a pet often coerces compliance from family
    members. Rooms get cleaned and kids are quiet in order to spare
    their pets.

 • Threatening to harm animals if children tell about sexual abuse.

 • Threatening to kill animals if victim leaves.

 • Threatening to kill the pet if the victim doesn’t comply with the
   abuser’s demands.

 • Threatening to have the animal euthanized.

 • Threatening to abuse the animal in some way as a means of
    gaining compliance from the victim.

 • Threatening to kill the herd, or the flock, or other animals of
    economic necessity if the victim leaves.

 • Child may kill the pet (humanely) before the parent can (cruelly).

 • Child may rehearse their own suicide on a pet.

 • Having pets euthanized to punish family members.

 • Intentionally overfeeding the fish.

 • Killing the pet as a warning to others that they could be next.

 • Putting animals in the oven or microwave.

 • Beating farm animals to death.

 • Drowning animals.

 • Poisoning animals.

 • Setting fire to animals.

 • Mysterious disappearances of pets.

 • Pets don’t come home due to abusive treatment; cats just relocate.

 • Neighbors kidnap/rescue abused animals.

 • Victims are forced to participate in sexual acts with animals as a
    form of humiliation. Batterers sometimes hope this will destroy the
    victim’s attachment to the animal.

 • Victims are forced to watch others participate in sexual acts with animals.

 • Animals are trained by the abuser to attack or threaten victims.

 • Dogs are trained to bite or attack the victim if she tries to leave the house.