Animal cruelty isn't just about animals

April 15, 3:29 PMDallas Animal Rescue ExaminerRebecca Poling

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Below are the remarks I made last night at the candlelight vigal for Hope & Justice at Dallas City Hall:

I did not meet Hope & Justice before they died, but I heard the pain in Jonnie’s voice when she called last weekend to tell me of the tragedy. I remembered then that it was a similar heartache that motivated us to form Companions For Life 3 years ago.

Companions For Life is a non-profit organization that teaches humane education – respect, responsibility and compassion for pets. We work mostly with kids from low income families in underserved areas of the City. We meet kids like Isaiah, a 6 year old who told us after watching one of our videos, that what he learned from the presentation was that he had to feed his dog. Or Victoria, who said she learned you should not let your dog go outside and run in the street. We try to teach children of all ages respect toward all living things. By teaching children to respect animals, we can help them to learn compassion for pets and for people, too.

It is important that everyone understands that what happened to Hope & Justice is not just a “pet issue” but is also a people issue. Studies have shown a concrete link between animal cruelty and domestic violence. In one study, three quarters of the women and children entering the shelter reported at least one incidence of animal cruelty in their family. Sometimes it is the batterer who abuses the pets, and sometimes it is the children who know of no other way to express their feelings. Perhaps even more frightening are reports which show that 20 to 30 percent of women who are victims of domestic violence will not leave their abuser for fear of what might happen to their pets.

But the link between animal cruelty and violence against people doesn’t end at home. The FBI will tell you that virtually every serial killer our country has ever known abused animals when they were young. Violent and aggressive criminals, including rapists and murderers are often known to have gotten their start as children, inflicting pain and suffering on animals. Some are cruel just for fun – others for the power they perceive they get. This is not new. Albert Schweitzer said "Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless, is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives," .

Ultimately, education can help build a more compassionate society that places greater value on the role of companion animals and by doing so, prevent more tragedies like what happened to Hope & Justice – or worse. But for right now, in this case, it is up to law enforcement and our court system to right this wrong. I would encourage them to look closely at this case – not just as a childhood prank, but as the serious precursor it may be to other types of criminal violence. If these perpetrators are not caught, it won’t be just our precious pets who suffer, but our entire community may be in danger.