Am sharing this petition as it fits so well with our belief in Whakapapa, and the close synergy between humans and animals. Please take a minute to read and if you feel so inclined sign it.
You’re considering fleeing a household filled with domestic violence, but local shelters are saying you can’t bring your beloved companion animal. Can you imagine leaving your defenseless pet — who depends on you for safety and protection — behind? Countless survivors face this heartbreaking decision every day in Texas and across the U.S.
A study from the National Link Coalition found that 71% of survivors reported their abuser had harmed, threatened, or killed a pet to maintain control.
And these violent threats work. Many survivors remain in dangerous homes solely to protect their pets from harm. Without more pet-friendly shelters, survivors have two impossible choices: risk their own lives to protect their pets or leave their pets behind, defenseless.
Luckily, a new, life-saving initiative in Houston, Texas, is showing us a better way. Opening next year, the Houston Area Women’s Center will create a safe haven where survivors and pets can live together, free from harm. This facility will join only 250 pet-friendly domestic violence shelters in the country — a staggering gap that leaves too many survivors trapped.
It’s time to expand Texas’s pet-friendly domestic violence shelters statewide. Survivors and their pets deserve safety, dignity, and the chance to escape abuse — together. Sign the petition today to urge Texas lawmakers to follow Houston’s example.