An initiative aimed at protecting domestic abuse survivors and their pets, as well as preserving the human-animal bond, has received a significant, multi-year commitment from PetSmart Charities. To help increase the number of domestic violence shelters able to accommodate animals onsite, the organization, in partnership with nonprofit groups RedRover and Greater Good Charities, has pledged $2.25 million over the next three years. The funding aims to ensure 25 percent of these facilities are pet friendly (i.e. able to accept companion animals/pets in addition to service/emotional support animals) by 2025. “We’re proud to contribute viable solutions to a pressing problem,” says PetSmart Charities’ president, Aimee Gilbreath. “No one enduring intimate partner violence should have to stay in dangerous situations for fear their pets will be harmed. Pets are family, and escaping with them alongside helps survivors cope, heal, and move forward.” The bond with a pet can be a vital source of emotional support for a domestic violence survivor, and abusers often use this bond to coerce and manipulate their partner, PetSmart Charities reports. Indeed, 48 percent of those experiencing domestic violence delay leaving if they cannot bring their pet with them to safety. Compounding this issue, only 17.14 percent of national emergency and transitional dv shelters house pets on-site, according to DomesticShelters.org. “Numerous studies have shown both the mental and physical benefits of the human-animal bond,” says RedRover president and CEO, Nicole Forsyth. “Through our grants, we can help make emergency housing more accessible to both domestic violence survivors and their pets, which can have a major impact on the healing and recovery process.” The multi-year partnership will allow RedRover and Greater Good Charities to create a national awareness campaign, as well as supply resources and technical assistance through its collaborative training program, Don’t Forget the Pets. “We are grateful to PetSmart Charities for this generous grant that will allow us to continue our work over the next few years to help keep people and pets together during times of crisis,” says Greater Good Charities’ vice president of pet programs, Bryna Donnelly. “We also look forward to increasing the number of pet-friendly domestic violence shelters across the U.S. so survivors have a place they can go to be safe and comforted by their beloved pet.”
