Shelter Offers Pets Protection, Citing Link to Domestic Violence

One man butchered a kitten in front of his girlfriend, threatening to do the same to her because she lost her house key.

Another told his mate that if she left him, he would microwave her cat.

Fear generated by such threats often keeps women and children under the fist of an abuser who uses the love of a pet as a weapon.

Now, abuse activists have come up with a novel solution: a hotline offering shelter for the pets of abused persons.

“Our goal at the time she, or he, makes the decision to leave is that we can step in and take the pet for a six-week period,” said Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “We’ve had dogs, cats and rabbits in protective custody.”

“A violent person is a violent person. It doesn’t really matter who the victim is,” she said.

The Animal Safety Net Hotline started as an experiment last year, and has grown rapidly, sometimes providing for as many as 35 animals.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Scott Gordon, who serves as chairman of the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council, supports the hotline.

“What the program does is help take away emotional obstacles,” he said. “Domestic violence is a community problem and it takes a community response, and this is another partner in the solution.”

Law enforcement officials have established a link between animal cruelty and violence, citing it as one of three prompts in what is called the “homicide triangle.” It is a felony in California and 21 other states.

Just as in shelters for abused humans, confidentiality is a centerpiece of the animal shelter program.

Pets are placed in a variety of locations, in kennels, or foster care situations, depending on what is available. The exact locations are never disclosed, even to the owners.

“We don’t tell them where they’re being housed, or how,” Bernstein said.

Owners are given a Polaroid picture of the pet to take with them, for sentimental and identification purposes. Unclaimed pets will be put up for adoption, although that has only happened once.

Bernstein refused to allow photographs to be taken of any animals in the program, citing fears that the threatener might see the picture and try to find the pet.

Payment is on a sliding scale, but most cannot pay, Bernstein said.

The program is seeking funds. City Atty. James K. Hahn recently donated $6,000 from the settlement of a lawsuit against supermarkets accused of overcharging.

“Not only is abuse of animals wrong, but we know there is a strong connection between animal abuse and later violence against humans, whether child abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse, or violence against women,” Hahn said as he handed over the check at a recent SPCA telethon.

Hahn’s office is expected to make an additional $30,000 donation May 25 from the settlement of an environmental case involving an oil spill in the harbor.

Bernstein cited the example of a woman who forgave her abuser when he broke her arm, again when he fractured her skull. A third time, when he lodged a bullet in her spine. But she left him for good when he unplugged her tank and her fish died.

“She felt like she deserved the abuse,” Bernstein said. “That fish tank was the one bright spot in her life.”

Bernstein said the program can be particularly beneficial for children, who especially identify with the powerlessness of the animals, and are fearful of leaving them behind, adding to the burden of the battered spouse.

Judy Sims, the society’s administrative coordinator, answers the hotline, interviews victims and does some counseling. Some of her encounters have been bittersweet, such as the woman and her two young daughters who were forced to drop off their cat. The youngest one was wearing a T-shirt that said “Everything will be OK,” Sims said.

Six weeks later, they returned, the girls dressed in their Sunday best, to pick up their cat and leave a plant and a homemade thank-you card for the staff.

“It just brought tears to our eyes,” Sims said.

The Animal Safety Net Hotline number, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., is (888) 527-7722.