BY SAMANTHA BARTLETT, DVM
Domestic violence affects people from all walks of life. Many victims of domestic violence are women with pets, either their own or their children’s beloved companion. Past research has shown that abusers don’t stop at their domestic partner, but often focus their abusive behavior directly or indirectly on other members of the household.
The National Coalition against Domestic Violence (NCDV) has compiled a large number of statistics relating to all areas of domestic violence. According to NCDV, the majority of pet owners that checked into domestic violence shelters reported that their abuser threatened, harmed or killed their pet. Over half of victims in shelters have reported that they had to leave their pet with their abuser. Approximately half of victims and their children describe their pets as an important part of their emotional stability and state that their pets are key to helping them to adjust and recover from their experiences of abuse.
Although some programs have shelter or referral services for pets, the majority of programs are not set up to deal with the care of pets owned by victims of abuse. Because of this, many victims choose to stay in the home with their abusers because they cannot take their pets with them and they fear what will happen if they leave them behind. Others resort to extreme measures, such as living in their car with their pets for months at a time until an alternative living situation can be found.
In response to this trend, a piece of legislation known as the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act was introduced help domestic violence programs provide shelter and housing assistance for companion animals in 2014. By doing so, this act will help protect women from further emotional trauma caused by potential danger to their pets and to help empower these women by elevating them from a victim to a protector and caregiver of their pet.
The PAWS Act was finally signed into law as a part of the Farm Bill in 2018. The PAWS Act broadens existing federal provisions for domestic violence victims to include their pets. The Act will create a $3 million federal grant program to assist these victims in finding shelter for their pets. In addition, the Act will provide coverage of veterinary bills in restitution for domestic violence cases when a pet is abused. As part of the language of the act, the definition of stalking is amended to include “conduct that causes a person to experience a reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury to his or her pet.” This also includes interstate protection for animals, meaning a person cannot cross state lines with the intent of harming a pet covered under a protection order.
