Pets are victims of family violence, too

I have read in many places that pets are victims of domestic violence as much as other family members. Often an abuser will use a pet to control other family members, threatening to harm or kill the pet if the family doesn't do as the abuser dictates. It has also been proven that a large percentage of abusers have harmed or killed pets in their past. In other words, children who learn abuse from a parent or other adult practice it on animals first.

There are shelters being set up across the country so domestic violence victims don't need to leave pets behind when they leave the abuser. A great article on these shelters can be found here.