How Domestic Violence Affects Animals
Most people are very fond of the animals they share their lives with and often consider them to be members of the family. This can be a wonderful experience, except for animals living in a home with domestic violence. Batterers will waste no time in taking advantage of victims’ attachments to pets and other domesticated animals to exert power and control, through fear and intimidation, over them.

There are many ways that an animal can be drawn into the web of domestic violence as both perpetrators and victims. Animals have been known to suffer both physical and emotional abuse with effects lasting long after they are rescued from violent homes. The list on the next page is far from exhaustive, but highlights common animal abuse as described by victims of domestic violence.