CHILDHOOD CRUELTY OF ANIMALS

By Charley Joyce, LICSW

Innocent or Problematic?

A childhood behavior that deserves significant attention from parents and others involved in the care of children is childhood cruelty to animals. The initial steps in assessing the degree of seriousness of a child’s striking-out towards animals are to begin by reviewing the intent, frequency and pattern of the child’s behavior. At times, children will innocently mistreat an animal. As an example, a young child may pull a cat’s tail not understanding that it is hurtful to the cat. In these innocent acts, the cat will generally react to the child, resulting in the child becoming startled and feeling bad about their behavior. Ideally a parent would also explain to the child that this is hurtful to the cat, reinforcing that animals need to be treated with care. Generally, if the mistreatment was an innocent act by the child, the type of behavior described in the example will extinguish as a result of the child learning from the cat’s response, coupled with parental input and their own internal emotional response. Unfortunately if a child consistently hurts animals, seeks animals to hurt, and does not respond to parental interventions a significant problem could exist.

Why Would Children be Cruel to Animals?

I have spent the majority of my career working with foster and adoptive children. We know that a primary reason that children are in foster care, and not with their parents, is because of child abuse and neglect. The feelings of being abused physically, sexually or neglected, cause a mixture of complex hurt and angry feelings in the child that has been victimized. These feelings often become overwhelming for the child and can be acted-out through a combination of internalized and externalized behavior. As a result, a child that has been abused and is angry might displace their anger through hurting a vulnerable animal. The cruelty can become a way to release their internalized aggression that they cannot act-out in appropriate ways. There might also be an emotional gratification for the child in being able to be in complete control and dominance of an animal’s safety, pain and life. Additionally, the psychological process of re-enactment can be a dynamic in cruelty to animals. As an example, I once consulted on a youth that at a young age was forced to be sexually inappropriate with dogs. Past the point of removal from her parents, she continued to display this behavior with dogs.

What Can Be Done To Help Children That Are Cruel to Animals?

Unfortunately, intentional childhood cruelty to animals is linked to a lack of conscience development. As a result, it is connected to the diagnosis of Conduct Disorder in children and adolescence. It is essential that youth that displays intentional cruelty to animals receive psychological assessment and treatment. A comprehensive treatment model should include:

• Establishment of clear boundaries for the child’s contact with animals. Adult supervision is recommended. Within the limit of confidentiality, information should be provided to other settings where the child might have contact with animals such as day care, relative’s homes etc. Observed, appropriate contact with animals should be positively reinforced.
• If the youth is a victim of abuse and/or neglect, therapy that helps the youth heal from these experiences.
• Therapy that is focused on teaching skills for effective anger recognition and expression.
• A therapy component that focuses’s on empathy development.
• Parental involvement, consultation or therapy.