Almost all pet owners consider their pets part of the family, according to a Pew Research Center (1) survey. Furry family members provide companionship, emotional support, protection, and even physiological benefits for human caretakers (2). But when crisis strikes, it can affect the whole family… pets included.
Those benefits from furry family members are often amplified for people experiencing crisis such as domestic violence. While the violence is frequently physical, domestic violence also occurs when one partner exhibits a pattern of using certain behaviors – like emotional abuse, isolation, financial abuse, or threats -- to exert power and control over another. Given this, it’s easy to see how amidst such turmoil, one might depend on a beloved pet even more. In fact, a relationship with a pet may be the only nonviolent relationship they know.
Sadly, the bond between survivors and their pets is often exploited. But regardless of whether pets are targeted, survivors need to be able to seek safety without leaving their pets behind or being left to worry about their pet's daily care and well-being while they seek the much-needed help they need. What they need is some time along with peace of mind that comes with knowing that their pet is being well cared for while they make a plan for a better future so they can be reunited with their beloved pet. But unfortunately, it's not always that simple.
Escaping violence and rebuilding is already challenging and dangerous enough for humans, but bringing pets along can complicate the situation even further. Space at one of Georgia’s 48 state-certified domestic violence shelters can be hard to find, and less than 30% of these shelters can accommodate pets.
Thankfully, pet-owning survivors have another option: a nonprofit called Ahimsa House, which helps victims of domestic violence reach safety by providing temporary care for their animals. Ahimsa House offers numerous services that are available free of charge to victims seeking safety anywhere in Georgia with any species of animal – most often dogs and cats, but the organization has also assisted with horses, snakes, birds, and even pigs.
Rather than operate a physical facility, Ahimsa House relies on a statewide network of volunteers and partners to care for the animals of survivors, allowing their humans to seek safety and begin rebuilding in their choice of temporary accommodations -- a domestic violence shelter, family member’s house, or other location -- regardless of whether their pets can stay there too. They also provide veterinary care, pet supplies, pet deposits for new housing, and much more. In addition they operate a 24-hour crisis line, assist with safety planning, offer referrals to other resources and information about the Ahimsa House program.
Founded in 2004, Ahimsa House has helped more than 2,200 humans reach safety by providing over 216,000 nights of safe shelter to their nearly 4,000 animals. While support for pet-owning survivors has recently grown, Ahimsa House worked tirelessly in its early years to change the perception of funders and service providers who were historically more dismissive of survivors’ desires to seek safety with pets.
In 2014, Ahimsa House became the first program of its kind to receive federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding after advocating for the need to designate some of Georgia’s VOCA funding to assist pet-owning victims. The grant’s guidelines were formally changed and now specifically name certain animal-related services as allowable uses for VOCA funds. Currently, federal funding sources cover approximately 85% of salary expenses for Ahimsa House’s seven full-time employees.
The organization's outreach program has increased awareness of the agency’s services and resulted in a steadily growing demand which, coupled with pandemic-induced financial challenges, ushered in a new era: Ahimsa House can no longer accommodate every request for its services as it previously could. Following the pandemic, many veterinary and boarding partners were forced to reduce or cease offering discounts, or close altogether, causing the program’s costs to rise substantially.
As 2025 brought about changes to the landscape of federal funding, current awards remain intact, but the organization isn't sure about the future. A loss of funding could force a reduction in employees and mean cut backs when it comes to the life-saving services provided to both human and animal survivors.
Ahimsa House continues to rely on the community to make its work possible. And while monetary donations are critical to the organization’s success, volunteers can make a significant and positive impact. For example, fostering a pet, which is temporarily keeping and caring for someone's much-loved pet, accounts for only 22% of nights that the safe shelter program provides, yet fostering is over six times more cost-effective than the alternative of paid boarding. Those who volunteer to foster a pet don’t need to commit to a pet’s entire stay – any amount of time can give them a break from boarding and saves an average of $21 per night.
To learn more about Ahimsa House at ahimsahouse.org.
Sources:
1) https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/07/about-half-us-of-pet-owners-say-their-pets-are-as-much-a-part-of-their-family-as-a-human-member/
2) https://www.bluecrossvt.org/health-community/blog/listing/health-benefits-pets
3) Barrett BJ, Fitzgerald A, Peirone A, Stevenson R, Cheung CH. Help-Seeking Among Abused Women With Pets: Evidence From a Canadian Sample. Violence Vict. 2018 Aug;33(4):604-626. doi: 10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-17-00072. PMID: 30567764.
What Ahimsa House does - Rescue. Rebuild. Reunite.
To Get Help: Ahimsa House provides up to 60 days of care for pets of any kind while their owners seek safety from domestic violence. Advocates are available 24/7 at 404-452-6248.
Give Help: Visit ahimsahouse.org to learn about donating or volunteering.
Ahimsa House has helped more than 2,200 humans reach safety by providing over 216,000 nights of safe shelter to their nearly 4,000 animals.