Cruelty to animals is often a reflection of emotional pain, but pets can play a healing role when treating troubled children. Mary Evans reports
The story of Ollie, a King Charles cavalier spaniel who was dumped on a motorway as an unwanted puppy, is helping deeply traumatised children in war-torn Bosnia re-build their fractured lives.
After his rough start, Ollie landed on his paws. He is now the much loved pet of Sue Dawson, RSPCA North West Regional education officer, who has used photographs and tales of his life to create a picture book as a therapeutic tool in rehabilitation programmes with children both in Bosnia and Britain.
She says, 'One Bosnian boy who had seen both his parents killed was having very great problems engaging with anyone and was very withdrawn. Through role-play, we set up a room as an animal hospital and he came in, put on his white coat, picked up a stethoscope and started pretending to be a vet and caring for the animals.
'The programme works through developing empathy. The children put themselves in Ollie's paws. It empowers children to learn to meet animals' needs. The children use the book to talk about Ollie and also about what has happened in their own lives.'
But while animals can play an important therapeutic role for children, Lancashire veterinary surgeon Elizabeth Ormerod says animals can also be used as a diagnostic tool in indicating domestic violence. Significant research in the USA concludes that animal abuse can be a predictor or indicator of domestic violence. A study in Britain 20 years ago by social worker and psychologist Dr Stuart Hutton found that of 23 families investigated by the RSPCA for animal neglect or abuse, 82 per cent were known to the local social services departments as having children 'at risk'.
First Strike Scotland was launched in 1998 by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to raise awareness of the cruelty connection, and set up systems for its officers and the police to cross-report cases.
The abuse links in England were explored at a recent conference held by the NSPCC and RSPCA. As Mary Marsh, director and chief executive of the NSPCC, says, 'Animals and children have one thing in common - they're both easy to hurt. The maltreatment of animals in a family can sound a warning bell that children are also at risk.'
Both charities are committed to maintaining the contacts forged at the conference. Director-general of the RSPCA Peter Davies says, 'The two societies hope to put the expertise gained from this unique gathering of professionals towards informing and shaping future policy and practice in child and animal protection.'
Dr Camile de San Lazaro, a consultant paediatrician in Newcastle and a keynote speaker at the conference, reviewed research into the cruelty connection for a local joint NSPCC/ RSPCA/paediatrics working party so guidelines could be issued to warn relevant professionals of the links.
'From our own records, we have very impressive links between, in most cases, neglect of children and animals. It is also true that if you have someone who sadistically harms animals - a true psychopath - they are likely, statistically, to harm children too. But these cases are rare.'
Ms Dawson says over 85 per cent of the cases handled by the RSPCA each year stem from neglect as a result of ignorance, and about 10 per cent involve deliberate cruelty. However, a chilling aspect in the charity's dossiers of animal abuse is that the perpetrators are sometimes children.
Dr Randall Lockwood, a psychologist and vice-president for training initiatives at the Humane Society of the USA and who also spoke at the conference, studied 57 child-abusing families and found that where animal cruelty had also occurred, children were the abusers in a third of the cases. They often used pets as scapegoats for their anger.
Mrs Ormerod warns, 'When children damage animals this behaviour has to be corrected or it can get worse and worse, and the child can end up doing very serious things to other people. Research in America has shown that practically all serial killers start by doing things to animals. All too often, when children harm animals, adults turn a blind eye and say things like "boys will be boys". But parents and teachers must not tolerate any cruelty to animals, and they should instil in children a reverence for life.'
While pets can be victims of vicious behaviour in a dysfunctional family, they can also be the focal point of a functional family. Dr Lazaro cites a recent British study on children's attitudes which explored the place children gave to animals in their social hierarchy. The children were asked questions such as in whom would they confide a bad secret or with whom would they practise something for school. They were given choices including Mum, Dad, their teacher, another relative or the family pet. 'The pet was sometimes at the top, sometimes in the middle, but very rarely at the bottom of this group,' says Dr Lazaro.
Dr Hutton studied pets in foster families and found they played an important therapeutic role. Foster children often bonded with the pets before they began relating to the humans, 'The pet is right at the centre of the family, oiling the machinery of social relationships,' he says.
Mrs Ormerod, who has studied schemes in the USA using animals to help sexually abused children, says, 'Children can be taught to relate to others through plants and animals. They can learn to touch, to understand and to nurture. If they cannot learn how to care for a vulnerable creature, how can you expect them to look after their own children in any better way?
'There is a scheme here using animals to encourage reluctant children to attend school. A child might have family problems, perhaps there is a divorce going on or Granny is very ill and the child is unhappy and lacking confidence. That child is given the job of animal monitor, and has to come in to feed and clean the guinea pig. The children, who do not know why they have been selected, respond and feel special.'
Although Ms Dawson, a qualified special needs teacher, has undertaken specialist work for the RSPCA with children who have harmed animals, the majority of her work involves visiting nurseries and schools, explaining the importance of animal welfare and respect for life.
'We have 60 education officers, who are all qualified and experienced teachers, and visits are free of charge. In nurseries with very young children you can begin developing respect for life. You can start by looking at mini-beasts - looking not touching - and by developing respect for even the tiniest of creatures.'
More information
- RSPCA - tel: 01403 264181 or at www.rspca.org.uk
- NSPCC - tel: 020 7825 2500 or at website: www.nspcc.org.uk
- Forging the Link, a conference organised by the veterinary company, Intervet, on November 22, at Glaziers Hall, London, aims to link up professionals in child, family and animal protection, to create local working parties. Registration packs are available by writing to Holly Cook, Freepost, MK492, Walton Manor, Walton, Milton Keynes, MK7 7AJ.