Purdue University Press, 2005

Reviewed by Kenneth Shapiro, Ph.D.

With this volume by one of the primary contributors to the literature on the relation between human violence and animal abuse, we now have a considerable set of books on the link -- Merz-Perez & Heide, Animal Cruelty; Ascione & Arkow, Child Abuse, Animal Abuse, and Domestic Violence, and Lockwood & Ascione, Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence.

Although grounded in a careful and critical consideration of the existing empirical studies, Ascione’s current effort is well-written and accessible to the general reader. The studies are complemented by rich historical, literary, and case material.

A couple of methodological points that come out of the discussion of the empirical studies are worth noting here: the need to use substantial or recurrent instances of animal abuse when studying its link to human violence; and the discrepancy between parent- and self-reports, with the former apparently under-reporting.

On the critical side, the definition Ascione offers of animal abuse has been adopted widely (p. 28). However, it has a problem that needs to be addressed: it is not clear that the requirement of intentionality in the definition (“…intentionally causes unnecessary pain…”) includes neglectful behavior that results in pain or suffering.

I found the section on available treatments weak. The jump to animal assisted therapy approaches in the treatment of animal abusers is problematic and precautions should be discussed. Existing published treatment approaches are omitted: AniCare, AniCare Child, and Strategic Humane Interventions Program. These interventions have not been validated, but that is true as well of the other approaches that are included.

As a postscript, it is bothersome to this reviewer that the book title (although not the subtitle), is the same as that of a recent book by Gene Myers.