Family pets killed by domestic abusers, charity figures suggest

Almost half of professionals working with victims of domestic abuse know of cases where the family pet has been killed, a survey suggests.

Nearly one in 10 said they had seen incidents where an animal had been abused, according to the statistics released by charity Dogs Trust. And some 97% said pets are often used as a means of control by domestic abusers in a poll of 369 professionals who support victims, including social workers and police.

Brothers Luke and Ryan Hart’s father, Lance, murdered their mother and sister before turning the gun on himself in Lincolnshire in 2016. Luke said: “After our father had killed our mother, Claire, and our sister, Charlotte, my brother and I found out our father had actually killed our dog, Max, just weeks before, and it was very clear, looking back, actually our father had most likely strangled him to prove that he could then go on and kill our mum and sister.

“Our father had always used our dogs as a means to get to us because he knew that we cared about them.”

The figures released by the dog welfare charity also show that 95% of professionals polled said that some victims will not leave their homes without knowing their pet is safe.

The Dogs Trust’s Freedom Project, launched in 2004, aims to offer support for dog owners who are escaping domestic abuse by providing foster homes for pets so their owners can stay in refuges.

Some 1,418 dogs and 1,083 people have been helped by the service, which runs across the whole of Scotland and in 29 counties across England, the charity said.

Amy Hyde, Dogs Trust’s outreach project manager, said: “Alongside suffering physical abuse, we know that dogs are also often used by perpetrators as a means to coerce and control their partners.

“This is incredibly frightening for survivors and can range from perpetrators stopping their partner from accessing vet care for their dogs or spending money on dog food, through to repeatedly threatening to harm, kill or ‘get rid’ of their dogs.”