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ASK Domestic Violence Victims if They Have Pets! 

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ASK Domestic Violence Victims if They Have Pets! 

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Domestic violence survivors reap physical, mental, emotional, psychological, and social benefits by knowing that both they and their 4-legged companions can escape abuse.

The following are examples of questions to ask to help flesh this out when a victim seeks help:

Does an animal—a pet, service animal, or support animal—live in your home?

Where is your pet right now?

Is your pet safe?

Do you want to ask that the court grant you custody of your pet?

Do you want to ask that the court order your abuser to stay away from your pet?

Then provide resources that will help both the human and animal victims get to safety. The Safe Havens Mapping Project is a place to search for assistance.

Visit the Animal Welfare Institute for additional guidance for working with domestic violence survivors (both pets and people).

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Safe Havens For Pets is a searchable directory for pets of those experiencing domestic violence, created and managed by the Animal Welfare Institute. AWI is an animal protection organization and is not equipped to provide direct assistance to domestic violence survivors. We strongly encourage anyone experiencing domestic violence to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for immediate assistance.

The entities included in this directory either provide sheltering services for the companion animals of domestic violence survivors, have a relationship with an entity that does, or provide referrals to such facilities.

Safe Havens for Pets

The Animal Welfare Institute launched the Safe Havens for Pets directory in 2011. Safe havens are sheltering services that help individuals who are experiencing domestic violence place their companion animals out of harm's way so that these individuals may seek safety for themselves. Entities included in the directory-which is continually refined and updated-provide sheltering services for the animals of domestic violence victims, have a relationship with an entity that does, or provide referrals to such facilities.
Please note: While the Safe Havens for Pets directory is designed to help find shelter for your pets, we cannot guarantee the availability or quality of services at any particular location.

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Safe Havens Mapping Project - Search for safe havens for pets of domestic violence victims near you.

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Safe Havens For Pets is a searchable directory for pets of those experiencing domestic violence, created and managed by the Animal Welfare Institute. AWI is an animal protection organization and is not equipped to provide direct assistance to domestic violence survivors.

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Taking a shelter pet home for a one-night sleepover or out for an afternoon field trip can increase the chances of that shelter pet getting adopted up to 14 times! And think how good that must feel mentally and emotionally for the person who took the time to visit for the day with the shelter pet. Even if they can't commit to having a pet in their family long-term, they can reap the benefits of temporarily fostering shelter pets.

Read about this study here:

Gunter LM, Feuerbacher EN, Gilchrist RJ, Wynne CDL. Evaluating the effects of a temporary fostering program on shelter dog welfare. PeerJ. 2019;7:e6620. doi:10.7717/peerj.6620

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The impact of human interaction with shelter animals

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I completed this challenge in January 2024 with my 4-legged companion Jack!

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Sometimes, interacting with a pet can help in multiple ways. For example, this fundraiser for St. Jude's Children's Hospital benefited the person (me, mentally during the long, cold, dark winter months), the pet (Jack, physically because we went outside more to hike), and the children who are fighting cancer at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, TN (physically through donations we collected and emotionally knowing that we were supporting them to get better).