LETTER: ANIMAL ABUSE, HOME VIOLENCE

In the Jan. 25 Southeast Missourian an incident was described in which a disgruntled boyfriend in St. Louis admitted to intentionally drowning a litter of newborn puppies. The owners of the puppies admitted that her boyfriend had been violent in the past but seemed surprised that this violence would be extended to her pets.

This intentional act of cruelty may have been a surprise to some, but it is no surprise to anyone familiar with animal welfare issues. In a related incident, the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri recently received a call froma woman who had managed to excape from an abusive relationship. Unfortunately, she temporarily left her dog behind in the abusive household and returned to find the dog beaten nearly to death.

Only recently have scientists begun to probe the relationships between animal abuse and other types of violence in the home. Animal shelter workers and child welfare advocates have seen the link for years. The fact is that when there is violence in a household, the ugliness of that violence reaches all members of the household, human or animal.

We cannot address the issues of violence against women, children and the elderly without also addressing cruelty to animals. These issues are simply too interconnected to believe that we can solve one problem while ignoring the others. Instead, the public must support, financially and morally, and advocacy groups that choose to speak for those who have no voice.

To some degree, the success of a society may be measured by its weakest members. To that end, we must encourage our court systems to view all acts of cruelty or abuse as heinous. We must speak up and give an unmistakable message that violence in any form and against any living creature is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We must take the time to teach our children empathy and kindness to all living things, human and otherwise, so that they may learn to place a value on all life. Only then will the cycle of abuse be broken so we may begin to fulfill our true potential as humane beings.

ANNETTE FENWICK

Development Coordinator

Humane Society of Southeast Missouri

Cape Girardeau