Are Family Pets a Factor in Women Staying in Abusive Relationships?
by Hannah Cooksey, Student at the University of Chester, UK. Whether or not family pets are a factor in women staying in abusive relationships is an understudied and undervalued research topic in todays society. The current study therefore highlights the issue through conducting empirical research, whereby questionnaires have been sent out to Domestic Violence refuges in the Staffordshire and West Midlands areas and completed by refuge staff regarding knowledge of the problem. Previous literature on this topic has been assessed and criticised as well as surrounding themes of the human-animal bond and how these factors would correlate to the current study. This combination of empirical and theoretical study has helped to gauge the extent of animal abuse within violent households. Results supported the notion that pets are a factor in women staying in abusive relationships and that pets are frequently abused by violent partners. The study highlights the need for a wider acknowledgment in
