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MIDDLETOWN — Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz and Albert "Boston Strangler" DeSalvo were all cruel to animals before they started hurting people.

Most experts agree that harming or killing animals is one of the "triad of warning signs" serial killers tend to exhibit in their youth. It's also why many animal rights groups contend cruelty to animals should not be taken lightly.

"The behavior that harms the animal is the same behavior that harms the human," said Barbara Boat, a child psychologist and professor at the University of Cincinnati.

Although many serial killers' records are stained with the blood of animals they killed as youngsters, not all young animal abusers will be serial killers.

What serial killers and abusers have in common is that they objectify their victims, said Art Jipson, a University of Dayton sociology professor.

Both types of offenders enjoy the sense of mastery over their victims. The act of abusing animals is related to extreme violence, such as serial killing, but serial killers have a compulsion to kill, Jipson said.

"It's not like (animal abusers) wake up in the morning and say, 'I have to kill a dog today,'" he said.

Boat said some youths abuse animals because they have been physically or sexually abused, but in all cases, Boat said the public should be concerned when a child shows signs of violence.

"(It) is not always restricted to the animal."