The number of women killed by intimate partners is on the rise. It is imperative to take decisive action to eliminate or at least mitigate the barriers that prevent women from leaving abusive relationships.
Pets are often overlooked as barriers to intimate partner violence. Most Canadians own pets, and view them as family.
However, most domestic violence shelters do not allow pets. The close bond many people have with pets and this reality make it difficult to leave an abusive relationship.
Many Canadians are forced to choose between staying with an abuser and fleeing, leaving behind their pets.
Delayed departure
This dilemma is likely to affect a large number of people. Estimates show that 433,200 people who experienced sexual or physical abuse in the last five years owned pets.
This calculation is based on the 760,000 individuals that reported sexual or physical abuse by their partners over a period of five years, as well as the estimated 57% number of Canadian households with pets. This is a conservative estimate, given the spike of animal adoptions following the pandemic.
The pull of pets is evident in intimate partner violence situations. Members of our research group found that 56% of women with pets delayed leaving their abuser, because they couldn’t bring their pet with them. The women were more likely to be able to report severe and chronic intimate partner violence.
Women were more likely to delay their departure if the abuser had threatened or mistreated pets (89%) in our sample. Unsettlingly, a third of respondents who fled to the shelter but left their pet behind reported that they were thinking about returning to their abuser if he still owned their pet.
In another survey, three quarters of the 116 shelter workers surveyed said they were aware of women who refused to go to shelters because they wouldn’t leave their pets behind.
Pet owners who are abused or threatened by their pets are more likely than others to be afraid for their lives. (Shutterstock)
Our recent analysis of a sample representative of the Canadian population, (those who are not in shelters), has shown that those whose animals are threatened or abused report their fear for their life seven times as often as those who don’t report animal abuse. Previous research identified that fearing for your life is a significant predictor of violent life-threatening situations.
These findings present a disturbing picture. People who have pets abused, and are more likely than others to delay leaving an abuser because of their pet’s welfare, appear to be at a higher risk of being a victim of intimate partner violence. This group should be given priority in reducing barriers to support and safety.
Lack of funding
Shelters across the country are aware that this is a problem. Some have created programs to help victims/survivors and their pets. This includes boarding the animals at animal shelters, veterinarians, or pet foster homes.
Most shelters do not allow pets. (Pexels)
Shelters are unable to offer even the most basic services, let alone create new programs. CBC News reported recently that 620 women and their children are turned away daily from shelters in Canada due to a lack of funding and space.
Even shelters who recognize the importance of pet-safekeeping programs find it difficult to implement them. Interval House in Ottawa is one shelter that has developed pet programs. They rely on donations and business sponsorships.
Shelters in the United States who want to create pet programs don’t have to depend on a limited and unstable source of funding. The U.S. Federal Government recently passed the Pet and Women Safety Act which, among other things provides US$2,000,000 per year as grants for domestic violence shelters in order to create pet programs.
Now is the time to implement something similar in Canada. Our national expansion of our study provides a better picture of the relationship between abuse of animals and violence against intimate partners in Canada. It also helps us to identify the best programs. Our research has shown that people who are in abusive relationships and whose pets have been abused are at risk, as well as their pets.
COVID-19’s lockdown has made leaving an abusive relationship even harder, and at the same time pet adoptions have risen dramatically. Pets and their owners can provide a lot of comfort, especially in times of crisis, such as a pandemic or abusive relationship. Now is the time to act decisively to eliminate this obstacle.
