Sheltering Women -- And Their Pets, Too

Under the new program, pets will be housed outside and not allowed inside, because of allergies and out of respect for women who may not like animals. The pet owners will be responsible for their animals' feeding and care. Initially, the shelter will accept only dogs. "But I have an idea for how we can serve all kinds of animals by converting our shed to house rabbits, turtles, whatever would bring," Filholm said. "We want people to bring their dogs, fish, turtles or birds or whatever animal they're attached to."

Marci Sanders runs what is probably the only other women's shelter in the country that boards animals on site. "What we've got is not nearly as sophisticated or fancy as animal control," Sanders said of the Naples, Fla., shelter. "It's just a room with six large crates and two large areas where the animals can be outside. We've had dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, chinchillas. It's just a really important part of our mission now, to allow women to bring pets."

The shelter does not take large animals. "We had to say no to a woman who wanted to bring her horse," Sanders said. And the facility doesn't take reptiles for fear they could get loose. "There's almost always at least one animal in there," she said. "It doesn't take up much time . . . doesn't take many dollars. And just to have it there is worth it, for the one time that you might need it."

Psychologists have long studied the link between animal abuse and domestic violence. But only a handful are beginning to study the way abusers use pets to control or terrorize their victims. And only in recent years have shelters and social workers begun to see the connection between women who won't or can't leave violent relationships and their attachment to a pet.

"I know people think, 'This is just Fido and Fluffy. What are you doing staying with an abuser?' " said Frank Ascione, a psychology professor and researcher at Utah State University who is an expert on the link between animal abuse and domestic violence. "But think of Hurricane Katrina and all the images of the people who refused to leave unless some accommodations were made for the animals who were on the rooftops with them. Or with the recent California fires. There were people who refused to leave their pets or livestock who then got stuck behind the fire line. You can see how strong that bond is for some people. Some people may choose to remain at risk if their animals can't be cared for."

Ascione cited studies that have found that as many as 48 percent of women seeking shelter from domestic abuse have delayed leaving because of a pet. These studies also found that as many as 74 percent of the women who end up seeking shelter own pets. That, Ascione said, is not hard to believe. In the United States, people own 61.6 million dogs, 68.9 million cats, 10.1 million birds and 5.1 million horses. And families with children, he said, are the biggest pet-owning demographic.

People's love for their animals has become a $40-billion-a-year industry, including pet salons, doggy day care, pet resorts, pet-sitting services and gourmet food. People put their pets on Christmas and holiday cards. Forty-seven states have made it a felony to commit acts of serious animal cruelty -- killing, torturing or poisoning. "People talk about being their pet's mom or dad," the Humane Association's Phillips said. "That wasn't the case 10 or 15 years ago."

Phillips is writing a manual to show shelters how to house victims and their pets. Her immediate goal is Arlington, and she is striving for 15 other shelters by the end of 2008.

"If you are in the business of trying to protect women and keeping them from going back into abusive homes, then you've got to get the pets out," she said. "We have to get all the victims out of the home."