OKLAHOMA CITY – Several recent incidents in Oklahoma show the clear link between animal cruelty and escalating acts of violence against other members of a family or community.

• In June, a Craig County man with a history of violence and domestic abuse was charged with felony animal cruelty after an argument he had with a female postal worker resulted with him violently stabbing her two family dogs in the chest and leaving their dead bodies by the post office front door. He allegedly did this after killing his own dog with a claw hammer, frightening his live-in girlfriend to the point that she called law enforcement to seek assistance in fleeing the violence. The man has an outstanding $50,000 warrant for animal cruelty.

• Craig County Sheriff's Office Investigator Frank Miller cited a pending case in which a man with a history of violence toward his wife, child, and disabled family members, allegedly killed cats in front of his wife and child as a way to threaten and control them.

• An Oklahoma County man was charged in 2015 with felony animal cruelty after violently beating his dog. In March of this year, the same man allegedly struck his partner multiple times while she was holding their infant daughter. He has been charged with domestic assault and domestic abuse in the presence of a minor.

This small sampling of cases in Oklahoma illustrates what research has shown for years—acts of cruelty against animals are an indicator and predictor of violence toward other vulnerable members of a family, which often spill into the larger community.

As this connection becomes harder to dismiss, communities around the country, including in Oklahoma, are taking animal cruelty more seriously. Several animal cruelty investigations in the last year in Oklahoma County have resulted in harsher convictions and sentencing. In December, an offender received an eight-year prison sentence after officers discovered starving and neglected dogs in his care. In February, another received a twenty-year suspended sentence, has to spend weekends in county jail, and is banned from owning animals for not providing shade or water for his dogs, which resulted in animal death. In January, yet another perpetrator of felony animal cruelty received a year in county jail, plus a five-year suspended sentence and 160 hours of community service. These acts were in conjunction with other offenses, which is consistent with the proven link between animal abuse and other crimes. Addressing these acts of maltreatment toward animals leads to more protected families, safer communities, and less violence in our state.

Other communities are joining the movement to recognize that animal abuse isn’t just about an animal victim. Ottawa County Sheriff Jeremy Floyd started a unit in November 2017 specifically to address animal abuse, citing "the link" as a significant reason. Roger Nagl, a deputy with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, states that "animal abuse has been a topic that has been brushed aside for quite sometime now. The damage goes a lot further than just the animals being abused. A perfect example in Oklahoma is how domestic violence victims have stated over and over that their abuser has abused the victim’s pets before abusing them or threatened to abuse the animals if the victim tries to leave the situation or speak to anyone about it." According to Nagl, funding and training are two major issues, and the Ottawa County and Craig County Sheriff’s Offices, the Oklahoma Link Coalition, Oklahoma Alliance for Animals, and the Humane Society of the United States are taking steps to create a training module to provide law enforcement and prosecutors the education and resources needed to combat this growing problem.

One response to this growing issue is the Oklahoma Link Coalition, a network of over 250 Oklahoma professionals and concerned citizens that seeks to promote awareness, education, and action around the link between animal abuse and family and community violence. The Oklahoma Link Coalition will hold its next meeting Friday, July 20 from 11:30 to 1 p.m. at the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy. Professionals and community members from all backgrounds are encouraged to attend, and can RSVP to kathleen@oklahomalinkcoalition.org. Lunch will be provided.

Mission: The Oklahoma Link Coalition promotes collaboration, cooperation, public awareness, and education to end violence against people and animals by recognizing the link between human and animal abuse. The coalition is a project of the Kirkpatrick Foundation and its Safe & Humane initiative.