According to American Humane, “between 20% to 40% of battered women are unable to escape abusive situations because they worry about what will happen to their pets or livestock should they leave.” And the Department of Justice estimates that 1.3 million women are victims of domestic violence annually. The math isn’t pretty.

But most domestic violence shelters still don't accommodate the pets of victims. And victims are then faced with an impossible choice; stay in a dangerous, life-threatening situation, or abandon their animals, who are likely to be tortured or killed by a violent partner if left behind. 

The answer is clear: victims should not be forced to choose. By urging your state representatives to underwrite the cost of boarding for animal victims of domestic violence into their budgets, and encouraging them to draft legislation that would allow shelter residents to keep their family members--both human and non-human--together, you can help all victims of domestic violence in such a profound time of stress and trauma.

They have suffered enough.