According to the ASPCA, 50% of domestic violence victims delay seeking help for the sake of their pets. Their fears are not unfounded: over 70% of women entering shelters report that their abusers had also threatened, injured, or killed family pets.

Most shelters do not accommodate pets, so women are forced to choose between their safety and their companion animals. For many victims of domestic violence, their pets are their only source of comfort and support at home.

Only ten states allow pets to be included in domestic violence protection orders, recognizing them as family members and acknowledging the well-documented link between animal cruelty and other forms of violence.

Congress was recently considering a National Link Awareness Month designation, an official recognition, which could help move the forty states that are lagging toward providing protection for animal victims of domestic violence. Ask your representative to support this resolution to raise awareness of the link between animal and human violence and to take steps toward protecting all victims of domestic abuse.

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