Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence

The media highlights the 20 or so people who die at the hands (mouths) of dogs each year, the new story on the block is literally: "man bites dog", or more accurately, hits, drags behind car, sets on fire, throws onto freeway, starves to death, etc. Animal cruelty is a serious problem and increasingly questions arise about whether such violence is part of a constellation of violence toward animals as well as humans, or whether it may ultimately lead to violence against humans, especially in intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment. Discussion will highlight work being done by the The Colorado Link Project, an initiative coordinated out of the institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC)at the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work. The Project is studying the response to animal cruelty and bring stakeholders and systems involved in addressing the issue of animal abuse together to establish a coordinated response across disciplines and jurisdictions. The Link Project is proposing assessment, intervention and training curriculum to improve Colorado's strategies to addressing animal abuse and ensure that professional encountering animal abuse in their professional capacity have been provided both training and access to the standards and guidelines regarding the Link between animal abuse and human health outcomes.