Paws for Safety
Center for Safety & Change established the Paws for Safety program in 2011 to provide a safe haven for pets of clients who utilize our Rockland County Center’s residential and non-residential domestic violence and abuse services. This program confidentially houses the companion pets of any client who is concerned about, or who has witnessed, their pets being threatened or harmed by their abuser. By safely guarding the pet, we remove the potential of an abuser using a beloved pet as a weapon to keep a person, and a family, in a dangerous situation. The goal of this free program, supported by the Hudson Valley Humane Society, is to ultimately reunite companion animals with their owners.
Protecting Your Pets from Harm
Studies show that animal abuse is often prevalent in a home where there is intimate partner violence. One study reported that 87% of batterer-perpetrated incidents of pet abuse were committed in the presence of a partner for purposes of revenge and control (Quinlisk, 1999). In a nationwide study, 71% of battered women reported that their abusers had harmed, killed or threatened their animals (Ascione, Weber & Wood, 1997).