If You Want to Save Someone From Domestic Violence, Help Their Pet
I stayed longer than I should have because I didn’t want to leave my cat
An article made the rounds some years ago about a chihuahua named Chewy, abandoned in an airport bathroom. His human mom left a note to explain why he was there: she was fleeing a violent ex who’d hurt Chewy before. In fact, Chewy still had a bump on his head as proof of these ordeals. In the note, Chewy’s mom begged his finder to take care of him, explaining that she couldn’t afford to bring him on her flight to someplace safe. That was why she made the heart-wrenching choice to part with her beloved pup.
Their story still guts me whenever I think about it, years later. I remember needing to leave an abusive relationship once, too.
And being told I couldn’t bring my pet.
I’d like to give you some solid statistics here for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but frankly my recent dive into the research on the lesser-discussed issue of pets in DV makes me nauseous. So I’ll just offer you this scholarly analysis of more than two dozen studies that all touch upon the topic — which finds that as many as 88% of survivors with pets delay leaving an abuser because of a pet. Often for years.
