Women stay in violent relationships longer if they had a pet

A ground-breaking project which helps care for the pets of victims of domestic abuse is being extended to Devon and Cornwall.

The RSPCA says there are very few refuges for women which can accommodate pets.

Most hostels cannot take animals because of the threat to health and safety. As a result, pets are often abandoned or put down when women move out of their homes.

The RSPCA's Petsafe scheme takes animals into foster homes as a temporary measure.

Sometimes pets are attacked as part of the violence Janet Kipling, RSPCA

About 39 animals and 23 families have been helped since the scheme was launched as a pilot project in Somerset, Bristol and Bath last June.

Janet Kipling of the RSPCA said: "It was inspired by a project in Manchester which found that a lot of women have their pets put down because they cannot take them into the refuges.

"It has worked very well in the pilot areas, so now it is time to expand into Devon and Cornwall."

The RSPCA takes referrals from refuges and then collects the animal. The charity has a network of fosterers around the South West.

Once the woman goes into accommodation that takes animals, the pet goes back to them.

"That is always our aim, unless of course they can't have them back, or they don't want them back," said Ms Kipling.

'Great risk'

She said that studies had shown that women stayed in a violent relationship for longer if they had a pet.

"They put off leaving because they did not know what to do with their pets," said Ms Kipling.

"Maybe they had no friends or family to help, couldn't afford the kennel fees and really didn't know what to do.

"That is of course great risk to them, but it is also a risk to the pet as well because sometimes pets are attacked as part of the violence.

"If we can break that cycle it's good news all round."