The week's Break The Cycle Report looks at the connection between animal abuse and domestic violence.

A recent conference here in Anchorage brought together law enforcement, city animal control workers as well as various animal welfare groups like the ASPCA to talk about this important issue.

Michele Girault is with the group called Friends of Pets who sponsored the conference. Girault believes there is a clear connection

"When there's violence to pets, there's violence to children, there's violence to woman and the violence issues need to be addressed, but recognizing that they often start with the pet," said Girault.

Carla Culbreth is an Anchorage police officer that agrees, in fact, she says, she hears similar stories

from victims all the time, "Well I notice that he kicks the dog. I noticed that he hates the cat. Then he kicked the cat, he said he was sorry. Then he hit the kid then he hit me. So that slow progression into the power they use. It's classic abuser signs."

The hope is that if women can recognize those signs they may be able to break the cycle of domestic violence and leave a bad relationship much sooner.

Culbreth says there are still barriers like what to do with the family pet, "How many times have victims told me I'm not going to leave because I don't want to take the pet. Or being in the DV office it was, 'I would have left sooner but for my animal'."

And for a long time there was no safe place to take them, but that has

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changed. Amanda Mathews with the AWAIC shelter here in Anchorage says they now have a program that can offer temporary foster care.

"Any medical needs that need to be met the program helps with that too and so we tell them it's going to a foster family and they can have visitation." Culbreth continued, "They can still have a relationship with their pet it just can't stay in the shelter."

It's one more step towards breaking the cycle but Girault says an important one remains. That all of us need to consider, "It's having no tolerance for violence in whatever form it takes so it's getting the community to say no whether it's to a cat or a dog a child or a woman.no.and how do we work together to stop it."

The AWAIC shelter has a 24-hour crisis hotline, it's 272-0100, and again, they want people to know that they have the facilities to keep the whole family safe, including pets.

To contact the Newsroom, call 907-274-1111.