Can you determine how good a person is by the way they treat animals?

Absolutely. Would you have a person who beats his dog babysit your kid?

I don’t know if you can assume that someone who treats animals well is a good person. However, the opposite is absolutely true – I consider anyone who mistreats animals to be a bad person.

There is a strong correlation between violence in adulthood and the torturing and killing of animals in childhood.

Objectively define: “good”, and win a pony!

On a farm, you put a sick animal down. In the city, you spend thousands on kitty chemotherapy. Context !

For animal abuse outright, there is research to be read on the subject

Now, if somebody just doesn’t play with Fido? There are any number of “perfectly valid” reasons for that (childhood trauma being the most easily accessible one..)

no, some people just really hate animals

Ab-so-lute-ly!!!

Yes, in the abuse situation.
In other situations you can tell how mature a person is by how well they care for their animals.
For example: I have a special kind of lizard. A Uromastyx. For one of these to be healthy and comfortable it needs at least a 4’X2’X2’ cage, a heating grid from 120 degrees F to 80 degrees F, Very specific and hard to get vegetables, to be alone, and for you not to handle it. (and more).
They’re really hearty, though, and a uro will survive in a 20L tank with a bearded dragon being fed crickets (they’re strict vegetarians) with a max temp of 75 degrees F. They’ll live four or so years, sometimes, in those conditions…. but if a person keeps them in ideal conditions they’ll live 15 years and up!
If you’re mature enough to have one, they’re very rewarding although very expensive and hard to care for… but many immature people ignore how the animal feels because its still ‘alive’.

Depressing.

Yes. You can always judge people by how they treat act toward those with less power than them—including animals, children, waitstaff, subordinate employees, etc.

There is no proven direct correlation between the two, but it is absolutely an indicator.

Well I think that I would steer clear of someone that isn’t good to animals. Granted, some people don’t like them, and that’s ok, but if they are abousive to animals, I don’t want myself or any of my family to be around them. Let’s not forget, Jeffery Dahmer started out by chopping up animals.

But on the other hand.. being good to animals, doesn’t mean they would be good to people. I have known some really nasty people, that doled on their pets like royalty, byetwere total idiots with other people.

If my dog Fleas doesn’t like some one, then I know there is something wrong with them. Animals have a keen sense.

There is a body of research which focuses on the connection between violence against women and pet abuse. I agree that I would not trust someone who mistreats an animal.

I think it definitely says a lot about the person and their capacity for compassion.