"Studies conducted in other parts of Canada indicate a similar situation. In a Winnipeg Study, 78% of those charged with animal cruelty had also been charged with violence or threats of violence against people. Over 60% of 39 women who had been abused by their partners and were living in women's shelters in Hamilton and Owen Sound said their pets had either been abused or killed by their partners."

From an SPCA website. Many studies done around the world indicate the above to be true (those who abuse animals often also abuse people).