Last week brought another piece of glad tidings for the team at The Links Group and our colleagues in the four accredited specialist domestic abuse animal fostering services, Dogs Trust Freedom, Cats Protection Lifeline, Endeavour and Refuge4Pets.
On 18 December, the release of the government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and action plan indicated a recognition of ‘The Link’ and committed to four key measures focused on improving safety and support for victim-survivors and their animals.
This was followed on 22 December by the release of the Animal Welfare Strategy, which also highlights the importance of ‘The Link’ in pets and companion animals, as copied below. We are delighted to see our trustee, Dr Mary Wakeham’s, previous and current research mentioned twice in this strategy!
Tackling pet abuse and domestic abuse
Studies have shown that there is a strong link between pet abuse and domestic abuse (Wakeham, 2021). In cases where a pet is present, pet abuse can be used as a coercive control strategy to manipulate and exploit victim-survivors in the abusive relationship.
Raising awareness of the link between pet abuse and domestic abuse and working with stakeholders to support current initiatives will help to protect pets facing harm in domestic violence settings and will also further the delivery of the government’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.
Actions
We will:
- consider the outcomes of the research project commissioned in summer 2025 to explore the link between animal abuse and domestic abuse and identify intervention opportunities
- work with the veterinary profession to support initiatives designed to help vets and practice staff recognise potential signs of domestic abuse through non-accidental injuries to pets
- work with charities to increase the awareness of fostering services available for the pets of victim-survivors, to encourage them to flee from abuse
- strengthen the pet microchipping regime to prevent victim-survivors’ personal information potentially being accessed by perpetrators
Animal abuse in the context of domestic abuse is not “just” limited to pets and companion animals. Wildlife, livestock, assistance animals, and the relationship that people have with these animals are also abused as part of a strategy of coercive control. We continue our work to raise awareness of this important aspect of animal welfare and the safeguarding of people.
What an incredibly positive way to end 2025 and to enter 2026, when we will celebrate 25 years of The Links Group! These complementary measures across both government strategies indicate the importance of and necessity for multi-disciplinary and partnership working to optimise outcomes when it comes to Protecting Animals, Protecting People.
You can read the 2021 paper from Dr Mary Wakeham here
