Help Homeless Pets Escape Domestic Violence Too!
Sign the Petition to Ensure Domestic Violence Shelters Accept Pets
Imagine having to choose between your safety—and your beloved pet.
Every day, survivors of domestic violence face an impossible decision: escape abuse, or leave their pets behind in danger. For many, that heartbreaking choice keeps them trapped. It’s time to change that.
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Why This Petition Matters
Pets Are Family: Survivors shouldn’t have to leave their loyal companions behind. For many, pets are a source of unconditional love, emotional support, and strength during traumatic times.
Abusers Use Pets as Leverage: Abusers frequently threaten, harm, or kill pets to exert control and prevent victims from leaving. This form of abuse is real and devastating—and it works.
Lack of Pet-Friendly Shelters = Fewer Escapes: A staggering majority of government-funded domestic violence shelters do not accept pets. This creates a massive barrier to freedom for pet-owning survivors.
Survivors Delay Leaving to Protect Their Animals: Up to 50% of women delay leaving an abusive situation because they fear what will happen to their pet. Survivors shouldn’t have to choose between safety and love.
A Silent Crisis—With a Simple Solution: We need policies that fund and require shelters to accommodate survivors and their pets—so no one is left behind.
Read the full petition Letter here
Petition to UK Local Councils and Members of Parliament
Subject: Ensure Domestic Violence Shelters Accept Pets
To Whom It May Concern,
We, the undersigned, write to urgently request your support for a policy change that will protect some of the most vulnerable in our society—survivors of domestic abuse and their companion animals.
Across the United Kingdom, the vast majority of government-funded domestic violence shelters do not accommodate pets. This critical gap in support services places thousands of survivors in an impossible position: remain in an abusive situation, or escape and leave their beloved animals behind—often in danger.
For many victims, especially women and children, pets are a source of unconditional love, emotional resilience, and psychological safety. Tragically, abusers are known to exploit this bond, using threats or violence against animals as a form of coercive control. In some cases, abusers deliberately harm or kill pets to intimidate, manipulate, and punish survivors.
Research shows that up to 50% of domestic abuse survivors delay leaving an abusive environment due to fears about what will happen to their pet. This is not a marginal issue—it is a life-or-death barrier to safety.
We therefore call on councils and Members of Parliament across the UK to:
1. Ensure that domestic violence shelters are equipped and funded to accept pets or work in close partnership with animal foster networks and rescues.
2. Include pet accommodation provisions in all new funding frameworks for domestic abuse services.
3. Recognise the role of pets in the cycle of domestic abuse and include this in government training and policies on coercive control and trauma-informed care.
4. Promote and expand successful models of pet-inclusive shelters already in operation, including partnerships between councils, women’s refuges, and local animal charities.
Leaving no one behind must include our animals. Survivors should never be forced to choose between their safety and the lives of their pets.
By supporting this petition, you have the opportunity to stand with survivors, improve access to safe housing, and ensure that UK domestic violence policy reflects the full reality of abuse. We urge you to take leadership on this issue and advocate for compassionate, inclusive solutions.
Thank you for your time and your commitment to protecting all victims of domestic abuse—human and animal alike.
Sincerely,
On behalf of the supporters of Her Safe Network
What We’re Asking For
- Trauma-informed care that recognizes the survivor-pet bond.
- Councils to agree to provide funding for pet-friendly domestic violence shelters.
- Mandated protocols to protect both survivors and animals.
- Collaboration with local rescues and foster networks.
Her Safe Network- Who We Are
Her Safe Network is a grassroots charity dedicated to helping vulnerable women, men and even pets. We provide emergency support, advocacy, and safe pathways forward.