As many as 71 percent of pet-owning women entering domestic violence shelters report that their abuser injured, killed, or threatened family pets for revenge or psychological control. This threat often serves as a barrier to survivors leaving a dangerous situation, with minimal resources available at shelters. Breaking down this safety barrier requires financial support, awareness, and assistance. Young lawyers need to understand the often-invisible barriers present in domestic violence situations, which are ultimately crucial to helping survivors escape abuse.
Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence
Many people have never considered the link between domestic violence and animal abuse. Abusers may target pets to maintain terror or fright, gain more power and control, eliminate a source of support and comfort, and force the family to return home. Because domestic violence perpetrators often target pets, up to 48 percent of domestic violence victims reported delaying leaving their abusers because they feared what would happen to their pets. Some survivors have even reported living in their cars with their pets rather than leaving them behind. Unfortunately, only about 15 percent of domestic violence shelters currently allow pets onsite.
RedRover is looking to change that. Our mission is to bring animals out of crisis and into care and strengthen the human-animal bond. Through our domestic violence assistance programs, we help survivors and their pets escape abuse together—so they can heal together. The benefits of creating a pet program are abundant and include eliminating a barrier to safety, reinforcing the human-animal bond, and facilitating healing. RedRover does this through Safe Housing Grants, Safe Escape Grants, and raising awareness.