Pets might provide link to domestic abuse

A young victim or witness to domestic battery might not open up to a room full of adult strangers, but if a pet has been hurt in the same household, the child is more likely to confide the details.

Training law enforcement, lawyers, social workers, animal control officers and anyone who works with victims to ask the right questions is the subject of an Oct. 7-8 workshop hosted by Douglas County District Attorney Mark Jackson.

The training is free and features Broward County, Fla., Sheriff's Lt. Sherry L. Schlueter, an expert in the relationship between animal abuse and domestic violence.

"Our goal is to stop violence, hold offenders accountable and stop violence in the home," Jackson said. "When I took office I had grave concerns we weren't effectively handling domestic violence cases. I wanted to make a change."

A year ago, the county received a $500,000 federal grant to implement the Special Victims Response Team to coordinate officials' response to reported cases of domestic battery, sexual abuse and child abuse.

The animal cruelty investigation class is funded from the grant.

The program is to be offered 8 a.m.-noon Oct. 7 and repeated 1-5 p.m. Oct. 8 at Carson Valley Inn.

Deputy District Attorney Christine Schwamberger, who is coordinating the sessions, said as of last week more than 130 people had signed up, but there was room for 300 participants.

"I heard Sherry (Schlueter) a few years ago, and I always kept her business card," Schwamberger said.

"We've started asking officers when they respond, are there animals in the house, did they see any abuse. The officers were saying they didn't look and didn't ask children about it," Jackson said.

Authorities have learned that if victims or witnesses won't open up or talk about their own abuse, they will start talking about what happens to their pets, if asked.

"Animal abuse is a crime of power," Schwamberger said. "It's the only thing weaker in the household than the child or the victim."

Abusers may work their way into a family by buying a child a pet, then assure the victim's silence by threatening to kill or harm the animal.

"They might beat or kill a pet in front of the child, warning that's what could happen to them or a family member if they talk," Jackson said.

He said it would be unrealistic to believe that even in Douglas County there's no link between animal cruelty and domestic violence.

"There's not a community in the United States where certain crimes don't occur," he said. "It's everywhere. It's just not right to sit here and think in a population of 50,000, it's not going on here. We believe the correlation is at epidemic proportions across the United States."

Jackson said first responders to domestic calls need to be trained to ask about a half dozen additional questions starting with whether there are animals at the residence, leading the child through how the pets are treated and, what happens to the child if he or she misbehaves.

Some victims won't leave an abuser because they're so attached to a pet, Jackson said.

"Ultimately, we'll need community involvement, with people offering shelter to pets," he said.