The issue of violence to animals has been virtually ignored by family schol
ars and other family professionals. After looking at why animal abuse has n
ot received attention, it is argued that those who study and work with fami
lies need to attend to animal abuse for seven reasons: (a) animal abuse is
a serious antisocial behavior by children and adolescents; (b) it is a rela
tively common childhood occurrence; (c) it has potential negative developme
ntal consequences; (d) violence toward animals is related to interpersonal
violence; (e) it is connected to and may be a marker of family violence; (f
) the well-being of companion animals is being neglected; and (g) ii will h
elp achieve a less violent society. The implications for research, policy,
counseling and human services, and family life education are discussed.