(Ann Quinlisk, 1997 – cited in Lerner [1998])

The often-quoted case cited above is not an isolated one. Three separate studies (Ascione, 1997; Ascione, 1998; Flynn, 1999) have documented that from 18% to 40% of women seeking shelter at a crisis center report that concern for their pets’ welfare prevented them from seeking shelter sooner, in some case, for more than two months. We have no estimate of the number of women who are battered who share this concern, but never show up at a crisis shelter.¹

The attachment of battered women and children to their pets is a powerful one. For a woman waiting for the next explosion, or a child living in a battle zone, a dog or cat may be their only source of solace. Society as a whole has just begun to acknowledge the importance of this relationship. However, batterers have been aware of it for much longer.

"…cats are more likely to be stabbed or disemboweled, dogs to be shot, both may be hung, though a choke chain leash enables a batterer to act quickly against a dog; sometimes the pet simply disappears or dies mysteriously. Batterers have chopped off the heads or legs of cats, stepped on and thus killed a chihuahua puppy. Cats have been found nailed to the front porch. An activist in the battered women’s movement recalled how her grandfather, when angry with his wife, would go to the barn and relentlessly and systematically whip her favorite horse." ²

As Carol Adams points out in that same article, "the degree to which [the victim] or the children have an intense, respectful relationship with an animal is the extent to which [the batterer] can harm her by harming the animal." ³

By setting up a program ensuring the safety of a victim’s pets, we remove a major obstacle from the paths of many women who want to leave an abusive relationship, but cannot leave their beloved pets in danger.

Here at the Violence Prevention Center of Southwestern Illinois, we recently had a client in shelter who was brutally assaulted on her daily trip home to care for her dog. She had no place to take him, and we did not have an alternative to offer her. A safe haven program here at the shelter would require little effort to develop, involve minimal startup costs, and would prevent this from ever happening again in the future.

1. Safe Havens For Pets, Ascione, 2000. 2,3. "Woman-Battering and Harm to Animals", Adams, Animals and Women: Feminist Theoretical Exploration, edited by Adams & Donovan,1995.

Written procedures should include acceptance criteria, a description of the animal including health history and current veterinarian, a release form granting temporary custody of animals to VPCSWI which would allow the fosterer to seek medical treatment in an emergency, a hold-harmless agreement releasing VPCSWI and representatives (fosterers) from liability in the event of an accident, and a discharge form returning custody of said animal to it’s owner and documenting it’s condition at time of release.

Ask clients specific questions about animal abuse.

Intake forms must be revised to reflect concern for animals and reflect their importance in the family. We should add the following questions to the telephone intake:

"Do you have petsnow, and have you had pets in the past five years?"

"Has your abuser ever threatened or harmed them?"

"Do you fear for the safety of your pets?"

"Has concern for your pets prevented you from leaving your abuser?"

Establish criteria for accepting animals into the program (vaccinations up-to-date, spayed/neutered, non-aggressive), and for client eligibility.

In addition to establishing pet criteria for acceptance, Professor Ascione concluded in his treatise that eligibility of all shelter clients for participation in the safe haven program is preferred. Clients of VPCSWI who come for counseling but do not require on-site shelter may temporarily reside with a friend who cannot accept animals, or there may be a delay in locating affordable housing that accepts pets.

Screen foster homes for Safe Haven pets by performing background checks and conducting home visits.

People considering fostering for the safe haven program will be asked to complete a questionnaire. A reference check will be performed, and a criminal background check is recommended. If the applicant has owned any pets in the past five years, a veterinary reference must be supplied. A home visit must be done before anyone can be approved for our fostering program.

Victims’ identities must remain confidential, even to fosterers. Fosterers should be advised to care for animals in a discreet manner that avoids contact with batterers.

In order to protect all involved, our program would establish a policy of "no-contact" between fosterers and clients. Fosterers should be advised not to appear in public with the animal to avoid accidental discovery by the abuser.

Maintain 24/7 contact points for women needing immediate shelter for their pets, or keep pet carriers at the shelter so pets may be housed temporarily overnight.

Self-explanatory: Be prepared for emergency housing of pets.

Designate people who can pick up and transport pets as necessary. Ensure the safety of that person by requesting police "standby" as the situation requires.

One or two shelter staff members may be established as contacts between pets and clients so visits may be arranged. Caution should be exercised when retrieving an animal from a client’s home.

Discreetly provide victims with reports about pets’ health and wellbeing. Set up mechanisms whereby the women’s shelter and the pets’ foster families can share information about the victim’s situation as it progresses.

At the request of client families, shelter workers would obtain information about safe haven pets regarding adjustment, health, recovery from injuries, etc.

Avoid problems regarding unclaimed pets by creating written agreements that establish clear policies for how long a pet can be held, while understanding the victim’s continuing need for assistance.

There should be a limit for the length of time a pet can remain in the safe haven program. This time limit should be flexible. I recommend that foster families be asked to commit to a maximum of thirty days, with an option to continue or discontinue at that point. This would give them an "out" should they find the animal difficult. After thirty days, the pet could be moved to another foster home, or reclaimed by the owner.

The two most difficult aspects of starting a safe haven program at VPCSWI are cost-free:

Obtaining foster volunteers

Enlisting the aid of a local veterinarian

Publicity, ads in the local paper, and word of mouth are the best ways to recruits fosterers. Foster volunteers are required to pay $25 for licensing in Illinois. This could be paid for by the fosterers, or could hopefully be funded through a grant.

It is desirable to have a local veterinarian who would discount services for program participants.

Equipment required to start a safe haven program would include:

Dog crates (IL-MO Rescue has offered to loan theirs, as needed). Costs range from about $25 through $70 each. These can be donated, as well.

Cat cage: Cost $140 – $150 each. One would be sufficient to start with.

ID Tags with a third party phone number. These are invaluable should the pet become lost. IL-MO Rescue’s phone number may be used. Another option is to enlist the cooperation of the local humane society and order tags with their number, and an easily identifiable designation, such as "DV" on each tag. The humane society could then contact us to retrieve the lost pet.

Pamphlets explaining safe haven services to the community.

Clients would be asked to pay veterinary costs for their pets. However, I believe we could obtain a grant to cover veterinary care for hardship cases. Pet foods could be donated by one of the local pet stores who work with non-profits, or purchased by foster families.

Out of 21 domestic violence agencies and 20 animal welfare agencies interviewed for Dr. Frank Ascione’s landmark study, Safe Havens For Pets: Guidelines For Programs Sheltering Pets For Women Who Are Battered, few had negative comments regarding their pet sheltering programs. These cases involved abandonment of animals, or instances where a woman showed up to retrieve her pets accompanied by her batterer. In one case, there was a breach of confidentiality and the batterer was told where the pet was being sheltered. Luckily, violence did not ensue.

The positive comments were far more prolific, and all the programs were unanimously considered successes by participants. Some of these comments were:

"…she would not have left the relationship otherwise…she regularly visited her pets…"

"…SHP provides peace of mind for women…"

"…one woman had left abuse but was returning to the batterer because she didn’t know we would board her pet bird…when she learned that we would, she did not return to the batterer…"

"…a woman with two disabled children and pet dogs was able to stay at the shelter, and the kids and dogs were really in love…without SHP, she would have gone back to the batterer…"

"…a woman with two daughters and three horses (one of whom had been abused by the batterer) was able to leave…we boarded the horses for four months…she relocated and found a job on a ranch with a need for trail horses!"

"…an elderly woman had been shot by her husband and was in a coma…we boarded her pets for her while she was at the hospital and when she came out of the coma, her first phone call was to check on her pets…the reunion was wonderful…"

"…one of our former clients who had to relinquish her own pets is now a fosterer in the SHP program…"

"…it has saved some animals…"

Among the perceived benefits reported by queried agencies:

Allows women to leave and sends the message that domestic violence affects all family members, including pets.

Makes a difference in whether or not women will come to a domestic violence shelter, allows women to stay at the shelter longer, and demonstrates to the woman that she can "make it on her own" with her pet and without the batterer.

Ensures safety and, because children identify with pets, if children know the pets are safe, they feel safer themselves.

Women have come to the domestic violence shelter who would not have otherwise come and some of these women have been hurt protecting their pets in the past.

Helps a woman feel empowered to protect her family and make them feel safe.

Women have the opportunity to focus on their own needs without worrying about their pets.

The children benefit because they are no longer frightened about what will happen to their pets.

More women are now able to achieve safety.

Provides another avenue for women to escape abuse.

Increases public awareness about family violence; fosters collaboration with animal welfare agencies.

SHP programs remove one more obstacle in the way of women’s decision to leave.

Women are less likely to minimize animal abuse, in contrast to their own victimization, and are therefore more likely to acknowledge the dangerousness of their circumstances.

For an estimated 40% of all women who contact domestic violence shelters, the SHP is the critical factor in their decisions to leave their batterers.

As stated earlier, we have no way of knowing how many victims of domestic abuse remain in violent situations because they cannot take their pets should they leave. It’s a chilling thought, isn’t it?

Fortunately, there is something we can do about it. With very little in the way of funding, and a few volunteers, we can begin a safe haven program here at VPCSWI.

In doing so, we can assure that love of a pet does not prevent victims from finding a safe haven for all their family members in the future.