Domestic violence is a dirty little secret that affects roughly 32 million Americans every year. That’s 10% of the population, and that’s just the reported cases. When it comes to domestic violence, there are those who have been directly involved in it, or know someone who has. Domestic violence comes in many shapes and sizes, and it not only affects the humans in the family.
Their Needs are Not Met
Statistics show that 28% of the women who call a domestic violence agency will not go into shelter because they are worried about leaving their pet behind. When an abuser threatens to hurt or kill a family pet, it becomes very difficult for a person to leave it, even if it is for their own safety. We have seen this time and again when hurricane victims won’t leave because they cannot take their companion animal into shelter with them. So it stands to reason that if over a quarter of the women who call domestic violence agencies won’t go into shelter, these agencies are missing the boat.
The Threat of Violence
Many times an abuser will use violence against a family pet to insure that a child will keep a secret. If a child abuser informs his victim that if he or she tells someone about the abuse it will mean death to their rabbit, cat or puppy, that person is using a powerful motivator to buy the child’s silence. There have been instances were animals are killed right in front of the child with the threat of “this is what will happen to you if you tell” being used quite efficiently.
Keep Her Home, Bring Her Back
Abusers will also use the threat of violence against a pet to keep a victim from leaving the home, or to bring her back if she has already gone. Threatening to hurt a beloved family member who cannot speak for himself is a cowardly and terrorizing thing to do, but it is effective in getting the victim to do something she does not want to do.
Answering the Call
Many local humane societies working in concert with national agencies are now offering a sort of “no pet left behind” program that takes in the companion animals when a woman and her children go into a shelter. These programs allow the victim to safely exit the abusive or dangerous situation by insuring that the abuser has nothing left to hold over her head. These programs are vital to victims who have been through enough, and to children who may have only the love of a special companion animal to count on when the adults in his or her life have gone over the edge. The pet is held in a safe house until the victim can get him back, usually in 4-6 weeks time.
Learn More
To learn more about this issue please visit the American Humane Association Pets and Womens Shelters' (PAWS) page or the Humane Society of the United States. Encourage your local animal control or humane society to initiate a program if one does not already exist. Charlie Sheen’s dog will thank you.
Michelle Rivera - Michelle A. Rivera is the author of several books including HOSPICE HOUNDS, Animals and Healing at the Borders of Death; CANINES IN THE ...
Join the Conversation