Suffolk County NY has voted unanimously to create the first animal abuse registry in the country . Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy says he will sign the law.

According to www.pet-abuse.com in a 1997 study done by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Northeastern University, animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people and four times more likely to commit property crimes than are individuals without a history of animal abuse.

This is not a new phenomenon and studies over the last 25 years have consistently demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty . Even the FBI has studied the connection and has recognized that serial killers often started out abusing animals as children. The line separating an animal abuser from someone capable of committing human abuse is much finer than most people care to consider.

According to Dr. Randall Lockwood of the ASPCA “About one-third of children who are exposed to family violence will act out this violence, often against their own pets.”

Murderers like Albert DeSalvo “The Boston Strangler, Jeffery Dahmer and Columbine High School shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold bragged about mutilating animals.

I have been following this research for many years and I’m glad to see that now more influential people will take a serious look as did Suffolk County . Even The American Veterinary Medical Association sent a out a release asking Vets to take a closer look at abused animals and take action .