The Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act would greatly help domestic violence victims and their pets. Sadly, it has been estimated to up to 1/3 of domestic violence victims hestitate to leave abusive situations out of concern for their pets. Most domestic violence shelters do not currently have the capacity to accept animals.
I certainly consider my pets to be members of my family, and I would never be able to leave them in a situation where they could be hurt or even killed by an abusive partner. One of the most important aspects of the PAWS Act is that it establishes a federal grant program to that will allocate money to shelters to temporarily hold pets and keep them safe while their owners escape dangerous situations.
We cannot afford to ignore the problem of domestic violence. No one should be forced to make a choice between their own safety and the safety of a beloved animal companion.
