So sad. Thank you for stepping in and rescuing that puppy flip flop. When I was on the lecture circuit I had the opportunity to meet a gentleman called Dr. Frank Ascione from the University of Utah. He has devoted his research to exploring links between animal abuse and violence in human beings.
Years of research has enabled him to identify 13 reasons that children abuse animals. These are:
� Curiosity or exploration
� Peer pressure (e.g. an as initiation rite; goading by other children)
� Mood enhancement (to relieve boredom or depression)
� Sexual gratification (bestiality)
� Forced abuse (i.e. the child is coerced into abusing an animal by a more
powerful individual - like a parent)
� Attachment to an animal (the child kills the animal to prevent it from being
tortured by someone else)
� Animal phobias (preemptive attack on a feared animal)
� Identification with the child's offender (e.g. victimized child may try to regain
a sense of power by victimizing a more vulnerable animal)
� Post-traumatic play (i.e. re-enacting violent episodes with an animal as
victim)
� Imitation (i.e. copying an abusive adult's behavior)
� Self-injury (i.e. using an animal to inflict injuries on the child's own body)
� Vehicle for emotional abuse (e.g. injuring a sibling's pet to frighten the
sibling)
� Rehearsal for interpersonal violence
Understanding the reasons why children commit abuse against animals is a powerful tool in helping us to prevent it. If you would like to read more about this, the Juvenile Justice Bulletin has an excellent article here
http://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/jjbul2001_9_2/contents.htmlIn my own experience dealing with animal abuse and cruelty, I would suggest that these children are victims of abuse themselves, experiencing and witnessing violence in their own home. Child Protection Services in many countries around the world see animal abuse committed by children as an indicator of violence in the home.