Pet-Friendly Domestic Violence Shelters Offered in NYC

Many victims of domestic abuse do not want to leave their homes because they have pets to worry about. Several larger cities have noticed this trend and started offering pet-friendly domestic violence shelters. New York City does not have even one such shelter and domestic violence advocates are finally speaking out about it.

One group, CONNECT, conducted a study of women that had sought protection in a domestic violence shelter in NYC. The study showed that 85% of the women had a partner that had injured, threatened or even killed a family pet. These women did not want to leave their abusers because they were afraid to leave the family pet home with them. As a result, they wound up staying in a bad situation longer than they should have. CONNECT is now working with local shelters to see what can be done to help these women and their pets. While there is a program that helps remove pets from unsafe situations, it does not allow the women to stay with their pets at a shelter. If you have been a victim of domestic abuse, stop the maltreatment today by hiring a family law attorney.