Strong link between pet, human abuse

I applaud the Daily Herald and the writer of the "Our View" section entitled "Animal Cruelty is Not a Minor Crime". We hear every day about incidences of animal abuse in our community. This should not ever be taken lightly.

In your editorial, you referred to a study conducted by the Chicago police that found 70 percent of known animal abusers also faced battery charges against people. You also indicated that 71 percent of battered women reported that their abusers harmed, killed or threatened their pets.

We here at the Naperville Area Humane Society are well aware of these statistics. We see that through our Safe Pets Program, a service we provide to victims of domestic abuse where we foster their pets until they can find a safe place to live, that one of their greatest fears is to leave their beloved companion animals behind for fear they will be injured or worse. When speaking to these women, they note that they would have stayed in an abusive situation rather than leave the pet, an idea that is absolutely horrific and obviously life-threatening all the way around.

The link between animal cruelty and societal violence is strong. We need to make it clear to our elected officials that although they are collecting data regarding this link, this is not enough. There are many ways to work to solve this problem and break the cycle of violence. Stricter felony laws must be in place in all 50 states and must be enforced. The animal welfare industry is also working to solve this problem. Every day, federal and state governmental bodies are lobbied for improved animal rights legislation. Some humane societies and animal shelters such as ours also offer Humane Education to area children. These education experiences focus on area youth and teach empathy, compassion arid respect for all living things.

It is our hope that people will join together and send the message that any form of people or animal abuse will no longer be tolerated in our country.

Linda Linford

Executive Director

Naperville Area Humane Society