Animals are family. That's a given around here.

Research also backs that claim. If at one time animals were thought of as property, nowadays most people consider them companions or members of the family.

That's a good thing. But it also means that as part of the family, critters can be threatened or abused by those who want to hold sway over others, especially in domestic-violence situations.

Tammy Fiebelkorn has seen the worst of those situations. She keeps a photo of a bird — Kiki — with her as a reminder of the first abused animal she knew. The bird had its wing and beak broken by someone who also abused children in the family.

Fiebelkorn, who heads the New Mexico Forming Positive Links Committee, a volunteer-based group working on education and outreach of the link between animal abuse and human violence, spoke Tuesday at the New Mexico Humane Conference in Albuquerque.

The notion that people who abuse animals are also violent to people has been around for a long time. St. Thomas knew of the link in 1270, and groups that work to end violence against children and animals were first formed in the 1800s.

"When animals are abused, people are abused," Fiebelkorn said, noting that many serial killers were known animal abusers as children. "When people are abused, animals are at risk."

Much of the work to prevent abuse among children has fallen on the government's shoulders, largely through state human welfare services. Animals, however, are on their own, although many states have felony animal cruelty laws. And New Mexico is in the forefront in many ways with its own mobile crime laboratory built for animal abuse.

But that link between animal abuse and human violence is often ignored — or worse, not completely understood — despite repeated studies underscoring the problem. A Humane Society of the United States survey, for example, found that 67 percent of people who abused animals were also abused as children.

Many victims of domestic violence are afraid to leave their homes because they fear their animals will be harmed. Some 21 percent of women in shelters say they didn't leave earlier because they couldn't take their animals with them.

Unfortunately, there are few domestic-violence shelters that allow animals, and there are none in New Mexico, Fiebelkorn said. A program through Animal Protection of New Mexico does offer some temporary help to kennel animals, but it's limited, and no shelter has taken the group up on its offer of grants to help.

Woman and children aren't the only groups at risk in "the link." Older people can find their pets at risk by caregivers who use the critters as leverage.

There is help for animal abusers. Treatment models, which usually work better for children than adults, try to re-teach empathy to animal abusers, who are usually abused themselves.

In the past few years, New Mexico has worked to recognize the problem, even designating a day — Feb. 10 — as Link Awareness Day. Last year, then Gov. Bill Richardson helped support a conference on the issue that drew more than 200 people and nationally known speakers.

The funding for the conference was cut this year under Gov. Susana Martinez, and not enough notice of the funding cut was given to allow groups time to raise other money for the conference. But that doesn't deter Fiebelkorn. She's looking ahead to next year, creating awareness about the link, and hoping to raise funds for a conference next year.

"Abuse is abuse," Fiebelkorn said. "Does it matter where it's focused on?"

Fiebelkorn, who is happy to offer presentations on the issue to community groups or schools, hopes to push legislation that will require therapists and others to report animal abuse. She's also working to improve cross-reporting of cases to various agencies.

If you'd like to help Fiebelkorn in her efforts to put the spotlight back on the link, call her at 410-3884 or email tammy@e-solved.com.

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Awesome adoptable dogs and cats will be a part of Saturday's fundraiser in Eldorado for Dixon's Apple Orchard.

The extravaganza, which features food, games, music, a raffle and a silent auction, begins at noon at La Tienda at Eldorado.

The event will benefit the Mullane Family of Dixon's Apple Orchard, who lost much of their property to the Las Conchas Fire. At least three groups, Dew Paws Rescue, Desert Paws of Cochiti Lake and Animal Crusaders, will offer several animals for adoption at the event.

Contact Ben Swan, special-projects manager for the Santa Fe animal shelter, at santafescoop@gmail.com.