An estimated 10 million people in the United States experience domestic violence each year. Nearly half of those survivors report that they delay leaving frightening, dangerous situations because they cannot take their pets with them to local domestic violence shelters. In fact, fewer than 20% of such shelters currently accept pets.
For the last six years, Purina has been working to change that.
“Almost 10 years ago, a Purina associate read about the impossible decision many domestic abuse survivors with pets are forced to make: stay with an abuser or leave a beloved pet behind,” said Joe Toscano, vice president and director of trade and industry development, Purina Sales North America. “At Purina, we know that pets are family and don’t want any survivor to have to choose between their own safety and the safety of their pets.”
That’s why, in 2019, Purina partnered with RedRover to create the Purple Leash Project — an initiative to help more domestic violence shelters become pet-friendly so that survivors at both ends of the leash can escape and heal together. Over the last six years, Purina and RedRover have provided 57 grants to domestic violence shelters in 26 states, giving resources and support to help more shelters become pet-friendly.
“The stories we’ve heard from survivors, shelters and donors about what the Purple Leash Project means to them are so impactful,” Toscano said. “Purple Leash Project grants have enabled more survivors to escape with their pets and have helped shelters to deliver more than 100,000 safe nights
of housing.”
Purina is also hearing from survivors and donors who would have benefitted from the Purple Leash Project if it existed during their time of crisis, but who are grateful that today’s survivors won’t have to choose between their safety and the safety of their pet.
“I wasn’t expecting I wouldn’t be able to bring (my pet) Princess,” said Angie, a domestic abuse survivor. “And that was heartbreaking, especially for the kids. I feel proud just knowing other families will be able to keep their pets. That’s just awesome. Because, for us, Princess was everything.”
Since the initiative began, Purina associates have dedicated more than 2,000 volunteer hours renovating shelters such as Lydia’s House in Missouri, Safe Voices in Maine, DVIP in Colorado and, most recently, YWCA Greater Cincinnati, to make them pet-friendly havens.
When Purina first started the Purple Leash Project with RedRover in 2019, fewer than 10% of domestic violence shelters accepted pets – a number that has since nearly doubled.
“We are proud of the progress we’ve made, but know there is much more work to be done,” Toscano said. “As we think about the future of the Purple Leash Project, we are looking into other aspects of a survivor’s journey and considering how to best support survivors on both ends of the leash in new ways.”
Enter Purina’s Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act Coalition, which funds grants for shelters to accommodate pets.
“Purina is committed to transforming domestic violence services through advocacy and legislation,” Toscano said. “We continue to push for reauthorization and federal funding to sustain this vital program.”
The company is also exploring new and creative partnerships to raise awareness of the Purple Leash Project and support survivors. For example, customers and retailers can team up with their Purina reps to develop initiatives that promote the project through in-store and online merchandising and promotions.
“We’ve seen retailers and customers make meaningful change in their own local communities by engaging with shelters in their own backyards – from organizing supply drives, offering retail gift cards to support shelters and survivors and more,” Toscano said. “We’ve heard from shelters that, when they have the backing of the local community, they’re more likely to seek out ways to expand their services, such as becoming pet-friendly. It will take all of us working together to help make even more meaningful change for people and pets who are dealing with domestic violence.”
Learn more about how you can support the Purple Leash Project.
If you or someone you know is in a domestic violence situation, call the Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or visit thehotline.org.
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