Banfield Foundation Launches PSA with Russell Wilson for Domestic Violence Victims and Pets to Find Safety Together

I was extremely proud to announce Banfield Foundation’s Safer Together Initiative in May, raising awareness of the link between domestic violence and animal abuse and committing to invest $1 million over four years in helping people and pets escape abuse safely together. We also teamed up with NFL quarterback and champion Russell Wilson, the owner of three Great Danes and a Malti-Poo (and a Banfield Pet Hospital client!) who has a history of speaking out against domestic violence, making him the ideal spokesperson for this effort.

Today, I’m excited to announce that we are marking the next chapter in our Safer Together initiative. The Banfield Foundation is debuting a PSA with Wilson to help drive awareness that in many homes where domestic violence occurs, pets are often victims too. We want to encourage action to help people and pets find safety together.

Domestic violence is an issue that affects more than just humans. The unfortunate truth is that as many as 48% of domestic violence victims remain in an abusive relationship because they fear for the safety of their pet. In fact, up to 89% of pet-owning domestic violence victims report their abuser has either threatened, injured or killed the family pet. Because of this, veterinarians often have unique exposure to these situations, and in some cases, must act as the first responders. Only an estimated 6-10% of domestic violence shelters allow animals, increasing the urgent need to create and grow support for pet-friendly programs to help save lives.

The foundation’s new Safer Together grant program is multi-faceted including a grant program, the creation of an all-volunteer Advisory Committee, continuing education for the veterinary profession, and the PSA, starring Wilson. Grants will enable qualifying nonprofit organizations to apply for funding as they increase their capacity to help people and pets escaping domestic violence. Nonprofits can use a portion of grant money to cover costs of a dedicated animal support specialist, but most of the funding will be focused on ensuring pets have access to preventative and emergency veterinary care, and temporary shelter.

The all-volunteer Advisory Committee of leading experts within the animal welfare and domestic violence industry was created to help guide the Safer Together program to bring more awareness to the link between domestic violence, people and their pets. Their help will be key to training and engaging the veterinary profession, since they play such a huge role in assisting domestic violence victims.

You can watch the Safer Together PSA air nationally on TV and radio throughout the rest of 2019. For more information on the PSA, to apply for a grant, or to donate to the Banfield Foundation, visit BanfieldFoundation.org/SaferTogether.