The Relationship between Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence Research Paper

The Relationship between Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence - Research Paper Example The strong bond of man to animals shows the capacity of the former to create meaningful bonds with other creatures not at the same step in the ladder of the intelligence hierarchy. Also, the positive effects of animals on human behavior became numerous as time progressed, which eventually lead to the creation of a new branch of sociology called environmental sociology, which deals with the relationship of the environment and the society (Zilney 1). Within the familial relationships that are abusive in nature, various kinds of cruelty are reported to exist. These would include emotional, physical, sexual, financial, and deliberate animal abuse (Taylor). Not only would one parent be suffering from either one of the abuses, but also the pain would resonate to other members of the household, including the children or pets. The perpetrator would most likely take down the weakest members of the household such as the pets in order to control the other victims (Brimer 654). However, because of the possible imprisonment that domestic violence could do to the abuser, the anger and aggression is instead turned to the animals instead, to further silence the other victims regarding the abuse. This makes it easier to detect animal abuse than domestic violence because even when the children or the abused parent are hidden from authorities, there are high chances that the neighbors would be witnessing such violence being done to the animals. Also, even without the presence of law enforcement officers, visiting veterinarians could assess if the animals are properly kept or not, thus further strengthening suspicions of domestic abuse (Ascione and Shapiro 571). It is also helpful to ask victims of abuse about their pets and how they interact with the abuser, because these victims may not be able to tell authorities right away about what they experience. By asking about their pets, law enforcement officers could identify if the abuse is not limited to the animal alone, which is mo re likely the case. Thus, by starting the interrogations from the treatment of animals, it can be expected that the victims would eventually confess to being abused themselves, thus implicating the abuser not just in hurting pets, but also other members in the family unit. With this in light, while the strength of the assumption that performing animal abuse itself causes domestic violence in the future, it is implicitly confirmed by researchers that animal abuse is highly correlated with domestic violence and therefore can be used to predict the abuser’s violent history as well as violence in the abuser’s future. Why the Study of Human-Animal Relationships went at a Slow Pace The relevance of understanding human relationships with non-humans were said to give additional insights to the need to study how the interactions of numerous creatures to men were able to help shape mankind’s behavior and culture (Zilney 6). Because of this notion, ethical lectures during the period of enlightenment by Immanuel Kant became ingrained sturdily in how men should treat animals. Kant was said to have mentioned that people who are cruel to animals are also cruel in dealing with other people (Linzey 1). Also, being abusive to weaker creatures become