Acts of cruelty to animals are symptomatic of a deep mental disturbance. Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals do not stop there—many of them move on to their fellow humans
Murderers often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids. A survey of psychiatric patients who had repeatedly tortured dogs and cats when they were young found that all of them had high levels of aggression toward people as well.
According to a New South Wales newspaper, a police study in Australia revealed that 100% of sexual homicide offenders examined had a history of animal cruelty. To researchers, a fascination with cruelty to animals is a red flag in the backgrounds of serial killers and rapists. These are the kids who never learned it is wrong to poke out a puppy’s eyes.
Because abusers target individuals who are less dominant than themselves, crimes against animals, spouses, children, and the elderly often go hand in hand. Children who are animal abusers may be repeating lessons that they learned or practiced at home;
often abused themselves, they subsequently react to anger or frustration with violence. Their violence is often directed at animals because they are the only individuals in the family who are more vulnerable than themselves. There are definite connections between animal abuse, domestic violence, and child abuse.
