Andrew Campbell is the founder of Campbell Research and Consulting (www.campbellresearchandconsulting.com) with a Master’s degree in public health and a history of surviving family violence in childhood he is more than qualified to address the timeless problem of domestic abuse and the effects of family violence.
Andrew has authored 12 academic publications on this subject over the past two years that include papers cited by the FBI, CDC, and in over 700 international academic studies.
He has also authored the amazing book: “Not Without my Pet: Understanding the Relationship between Victims of Domestic Violence and Their Pets”
This book is a “must read” for anyone who deals with domestic violence issues in any capacity including police officers, judges, emergency room nurses, doctors and ancillary staff, shelter workers, advocates, volunteers, and veterinarians.
Andrew’s work and writing are meticulously researched and filled with anecdotes given by survivors themselves adding a very personal touch that will impact your heart.
In “Not Without my Pet” Andrew explores the trauma of emotional abuse and the deep connections to pets as emotional support and the impact of being separated from this support and the further trauma it causes. Of note, Andrew dedicated this book to his own pet, Shelby the dog, who Andrew credits for actually saving his life.
“Pets are part of the family. Many animal companions are better examples of what ‘family’ SHOULD be than the humans who make up our family unit.” (Excerpt from Andrew’s introduction) Anyone who has ever had a close bond with a pet understands this perfectly. Even if pets are not a part of your life if you deal with people in crisis with pets this book will aid your understanding of the bond and enable you to provide better help.
Andrew also addresses elder abuse and natural disasters with the people to pet bond. As a lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast states, I can assure you that the statistic of 44% of respondents refusing to evacuate in the face of a natural disaster because they had pets is true and the real stat is probably higher. I have faced numerous hurricanes in the Gulf States over my lifetime and if the shelters refuse pets I am not going. If it’s too dangerous for me to stay it’s certainly too dangerous for me to leave my pet. Hurricane Katrina with its horrific loss of human and pet lives highlighted this and in 2006 the PETS ACT was passed to aid in addressing this issue. The stress of living through natural disasters is a breeding ground for abuse and this makes finding ways to minimize the stress and keep pets with families even more important.
Law enforcement will want to pay special attention to Andrew’s research on pet abuse and its increased risk not only to families of the pet but to responding law enforcement officers. Criminologists have long tied pet abuse to multiple forms of crimes so one who is known to have abused a pet should be considered dangerous and treated accordingly. “While patterns of abuse, harm, and violence often begin in the home- they rarely remain there for long.” (excerpt from Chapter 5) Law enforcement will do well to heed Andrew’s “Opportunity to Abuse” theory. Crimes will not be committed without the opportunity to do so. We must provide better interventions and include our four-legged companions as well.
In the final chapter, Andrew issues a call to action broken down by discipline to address areas where education systems, faith-based organizations, law enforcement, and the courts and child protective services can improve and address these important issues to maximize safety and minimize bad outcomes and childhood ACES.
This is a well-researched and extraordinary book that I am very pleased to have given 5 stars and my highest recommendation. Please add this to your reading list and share it with anyone at your job, church, or your vet’s office or consider buying a few copies for any domestic violence shelters in your area!
Andrew I would like to thank you for sharing your personal story AND everything you are doing now to make life better for survivors and their beloved companion animals. THANK YOU!
Not Without My Pet is available on Amazon in Kindle E-book and Paperback and where ever fine books are sold! Grab your copy of this life-changing work today!
