PAWS Program
Doorways partnered with the American Humane Association to launch the first Pets and Women’s Shelters (PAWS)TM Program in Northern Virginia
In May 2009, Doorways became the only shelter in Virginia, and one of nine in the country, to offer safe shelter for women and their animals fleeing violence. Doorways now has the capacity to offer critical services to animals and their abused owners.
Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence
Stories from Doorways Hotline:
“The father (Abuser) harmed the entire family for years with threats, intimidation, and physical aggression. It escalated to the point that he killed the dog in front of the woman and their child. He then made the 10 year old son bury the dog in the backyard.”
Read more stories from the Doorways Hotline detailing how domestic violence is impacting the lives of women, children and their pets in our community.
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Domestic Violence and Abuse of Animals
In their lifetimes, approximately one in three women will be victims of domestic violence. Given that more than 71 million U.S. households include companion animals as pets, it is inevitable that many of those households will experience domestic violence and animal abuse. In fact, in a study of intentional animal abuse cases, 13 percent involved incidents of domestic violence, 7 percent co-existed with child abuse, and 1 percent involved elder abuse.
When domestic violence survivors with pets consider fleeing abusive homes and there is no safe place to house their pets, they have little choice but to remain in their homes and subject themselves, their children, and their pets to continued violence, or to flee and leave their pets behind. Because victims understand the extent of the harm that their abusers will likely inflict upon their pets if left behind, many victims remain in violent relationships.
Maintaining the Human-Animal Bond in Times of Crisis
Recognizing the urgent need to protect domestic violence victims from further abuse and the comfort that pets provide people, especially in times of stress and trauma, American Humane is leading a national program to guide domestic and family violence emergency housing shelters toward permitting residents to bring their pets with them.
American Humane’s Pets and Women’s Shelters (PAWS)TM Program acknowledges the richness of the bond between people and their pets, which often provide unconditional love and comfort to adult domestic violence victims and their children. For that reason—as well as for the safety of the pets—American Humane strongly advocates keeping domestic violence victims and their pets together whenever possible.
