Here are some good articles to read in order to understand what a victim of stalking has to deal with and yes, “In addition to the physical dangers, stalking takes a severe psychological toll on its victims.”
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/comprehensive-treatment-stalking-victims
https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/pn.36.12.0008
“Animal abuse is also often used by stalkers as a means of terrifying and distressing the victim with dead pets being left for them to find on their doorsteps. Animal abuse is a high risk indicator and predictive of a high risk of serious harm or homicide being inflicted on the victim.”http://www.rachelhorman.co.uk/2018/03/animal-abuse-and-coercive-control/
“Killing of a victim’s pet is a frightening act which indicates dangerousness and high risk.” https://acws.ca/sites/default/files/documents/STALKINGHandout.pdf
“Although only 2 percent of stalkers commit homicide, half of them threaten their victims with violence or say they are going to damage property or injure pets, according to studies.” https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/25/science/researchers-unravel-the-motives-of-stalkers.html
“Acts of cruelty against animals are now counted alongside felony crimes like arson, burglary, assault, and homicide in the FBI’s expansive criminal database.” https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/-tracking-animal-cruelty
FACT…when it comes to victims (targets) of stalking. According to Katrina Baum, Ph.D., Shannan Catalano, Ph.D., and Michael Rand, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Kristina Rose, National Institute of Justice:
Thursday, December 14, 2017
By Darlene Hutchinson, Director of the Office for Victims of Crime, the Office of Justice Programs
the Bureau of Justice Statistics released its latest estimates of crime from the National Crime Victimization Survey, one of two national measures of crime rates in the United States (along with the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports).
https://ojp.gov/ojpblog/blog-ncvs2016.htm