Scotland: Taking a look at domestic violence shelters to allow pets

Call for shelters to allow women suffering from domestic violence to keep animals after concerns over revenge attacks from partners

20 October 2008
By SHÂN ROSS
WOMEN suffering domestic violence are scared to leave their abusive partners for fear of what they will do to their pets, research has revealed.

Those working with victims of abuse have previously told of anecdotal stories from abused women who could not take their pets into cash-strapped refuges.

Last night, the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it had dealt with cases where an animal had been beaten, hanged, or even set on fire for revenge.

Dr Ann Fitzgerald, who led the study, said nearly half the women she interviewed said their relationship with their pets may have prolonged the abuse they suffered.

Dr Fitzgerald concluded that women's shelters must start to accept pets so women do not feel they have to choose between their safety or their animals.

"If we're serious about wanting women to feel comfortable leaving their abusive partners and feel that they can protect their children, we need to remove as many barriers as possible," she said.

Her study "They Gave Me a Reason to Live: The Protective Effects of Companion Animals on the Suicidality of Abused Women", published in the journal Humanity and Science, found animals can both help women and lead them to endanger themselves.

Dr Fitzgerald of Windsor University in Ontario, said: "For some abused women, their pets provide them with the support they need to cope with the abuse, which may result in their staying with their partner longer than they think they otherwise would have."
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