First Strike

I recently came across the following worrying information and thought it worth relaying to this group. Small animals, especially cats, are particular targets.

"First Strike http://www.hsus.org/firststrike/index.html is a project of the Humane Society of the United States that has been at the forefront of highlighting the connection between animal cruelty and human violence. Many studies have demonstrated that violent offenders have histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. The link between animal abuse, domestic violence, child abuse and elder abuse is clear and strong. ALL 250 serial killers in a HSUS survey had backgrounds of animal abuse."

Mary, Thanks for writing about the First Strike campaign. This is an important movement to educate everyone involved in education, social services, the law, and mental health about the link between animal maltreatment and family violence. I have been conducting training seminars either for my local humane society or for other groups around the country based on the work the HSUS has done with First Strike. It is an excellent source of information about a truly scary issue.