Victims and their Pets
As described in the previous chapter, batterers are known to be extremely jealous of the relationships victims have with others, including pets. Sometimes the animal is the only source of comfort and love a victim has. Many batterers feel that by eliminating the pet, they can gain access to and control over the victim’s feelings of love and devotion. This can highlight pets as targets for abuse.

Constantly worrying about a pet causes victims to live in stress, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. All of these responses can contribute to illness and health related problems. Conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and high blood pressure can all be exacerbated by the anxiety of living with domestic violence. Children can develop exceptionally strong bonds with animals, as they may be the only source of love they have ever experienced. When the animal is hurt or killed the child can become severely traumatized.

Waiting for the pet to be killed can be too overwhelming and some victims will kill the pet themselves in a more humane way than they know the abuser will, in order to save their pet suffering. This can provide yet another burden to bear – that of guilt for killing a beloved pet.

Sometimes the pets of the elderly are used in coercive ways as well. Abusive spouses or children may threaten to kill or harm an elderly person’s pet if they don’t sign over the house or the car, or give the abuser money. Along with beloved pets, abusers may also neglect and abuse working animals such as Seeing Eye dogs, therapy dogs, or handicap assistance dogs. Elder victims may be completely dependent upon these animals and abusers will use this knowledge to their advantage. For abused elders, the pet may be the only loving companion, and elders who have pets tend to live longer, demonstrating their importance in the life of an elderly person.