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Protect Animal Victims of Domestic Violence
  1. Signatures
    1,258 out of 1,500
    Petitioning
    1. The U.S. House of Representatives
  2. Created By
    Stephanie Feldstein
    Ypsilanti, MI
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

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.

Photo credit: MarcinMoga/Lolek

Recent Signatures

Protect Animal Victims of Domestic Violence

Greetings,

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. For many victims of domestic violence, their pets are their only source of comfort and support at home.

Most shelters do not accommodate pets, and only ten states allow pets to be included in domestic violence protection orders, so women are forced to choose between their safety and their companion animals.

I urge you to recognize the connection between animal and human abuse by supporting House Resolution 191 for National Link Awareness Month. If your state is one of the forty that does not include animals in domestic violence protection orders, I urge you to help pass this important state legislation.

Raising awareness of the well-documented link between animal cruelty and other forms of violence would be a step toward protecting all victims of domestic abuse.

[Your name]

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