BY LINDSAY JACKSON
SEPT. 25, 2007
Outcries from the Oxford community were loud and persistent when Judge Robert Lyons of the Butler Area I Court ruled in favor of returning an abused dog to his owner in August. People protested in the streets. Newspapers published story after story reexamining the case and all its inadequacies. Eventually, Judge Lyons himself felt compelled to react, justifying his ruling in an impromptu speech in front of the courthouse. Buried in all the hype was one anonymous web posting that offers a hint at explaining the intense reaction.
“What happened to the dog is terrible, but where are all the concerned citizens when our women and children are abused,” said a post from “M.” “I don’t see any outraged people outside of our domestic violence courts when abusers are let out of jail. I wish there was as much concern and outrage for our families that are torn apart by abuse as there is for a dog who has been abused.”
This posting illustrates a core issue related to animal abuse, said Dean Vickers, Ohio state director for the Humane Society.
“There is an incredible connection to the abuse of dogs and the abuse of women and children,” said Vickers. “The animal suffers first and then the abuse escalates. If we stop the abuse of animals, we stop the abuse of a spouse and children down the road. It’s a very well-known pattern.”
Research verifies his assertion. A 1997 study by The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Northeastern University found that animal abusers are five times more likely than non-animal abusers to commit violent crimes against people. More specifically, research has shown a consistent link between animal cruelty and child, spousal and elderly abuse. Statistics obtained by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) show that 15 percent of animal cruelty cases co-occur with some form of family violence, most notably child or spousal abuse.
Knowledge of the tie between animal cruelty and subsequent family abuse dates back 130 years. Founded in 1877, The American Humane Association (AHA) created organizations for the specific purpose of preventing child and animal abuse. Today, the AHA operates the National Resource Center on the Link Between Violence to People and Animals and continuously advocates stronger animal abuse laws with the intention of preventing child and spousal abuse at the earliest signs.
Despite these established ties, some observers of the Lyons’ case seemed puzzled by the intense reaction to the fact that the judge returned an abused dog, China, to its owner.
Oxford attorney Daniel Haughey agreed with the web posting, saying that this type of media coverage and public involvement is not seen in domestic violence cases. Haughey mentioned a case tried in the Butler County Area I Court in which a bedridden man was so neglected by his caretaker that his bedsores had become infested with maggots.
“No one was outside protesting then,” Haughey noted.
Another Oxford attorney, F. Harrison Green, called Judge Lyons’ decision a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. Green agreed with the web poster’s assessment that society reacts more strongly to animal abuse than humans abuse.
“It’s a heck of a great comparison,” Green said. “It seems that there’s more value in dogs than in our women and children.”
“The line has become blurred between people and animals,” Green added.
The media itself has played an intricate role in the hype surrounding the case, generating both awareness of and support for the prevention of animal abuse. The media plays on the heartstrings of their readers, Green said.
John Forren, a political science professor and former pre-law advisor at Miami University, admitted he cannot fathom why more attention is paid to animal abuse over the large number of women and children who are abused.
“I would assume it would be pet owners who would empathize with [the case]. But I’m sure many of them have children, too… so, I just don’t know,” Forren said.
Lyons, who could not be reached for comment, ruled Aug. 2 that the dog must be licensed, not be tied up and taken to the veterinarian every 90 days. The dog’s owner must read a book on dog car, pay up to $3,000 in fines and be subjected to random home inspections to ensure proper care. Noncompliance with any of the requirements would be considered a violation of parole and will result in up to 180 days in jail.
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