Taylor left the animal shelter as a healthy, happy puppy. A couple of years later, he returned blind and deaf after sustaining a massive blow to the head. Taylor, like many other pets, is a victim of domestic abuse.
At Tuesday’s Community Coalition on Family Violence’s kick-off for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, audience members were educated on the link between animal abuse and child and/or spouse abuse.
WATE’s Gene Patterson served as the master of ceremonies for the event titled “The Tangled Web of Abuse: The Link Between Family Violence and Animal Abuse.”
Community leaders spoke about the proper treatment of other people.
“Our community should treat people with dignity and respect,” said Knox County Executive Mike Ragsdale. “We are here to promote education and to prevent domestic violence.”
Vice Mayor Jack Sharp educated the audience on the facts of domestic violence. According to Sharp, there are 2,500 applicants for orders of protection in Knoxville that are connected with domestic violence.
After the crowd was introduced to the human side of the equation, Dr. John New of UT’s College of Veterinary Medicine added animals.
“Each year four million women are abused by a husband or boyfriend,” New said. “Approximately half of those women have animals, (and) half of those with animals say that the animals are abused or killed.
“We try as a community to deal with abuse as a whole – animals should be a part of that whole,” New said. “Animal abuse can be a sign of future or current child abuse. It is a sign that help is needed.”
After a brief statement of support by District Attorney General Randy Nichols, the American Humane Association showed “First Strike,” a short video featuring the Shiloh Project targeting teenagers who are at risk of becoming an abuser and teaches them how to treat others by having them take care of animals.
The message of the day was simple: Violence is violence, and abusers aren’t making a distinction. This presentation was the first of many activities planned for the month of October.
Beginning on Oct. 8 in the University Center, students can see the “Clothesline Display,” a pictorial representation of the effects of domestic violence.
