If you had asked me in 2019 to think about what the movement to keep domestic violence (DV) survivors and their pets together would look like five years later, I would never in a million years have been able to dream up the Courageous Together statue. And, yet, we just celebrated the unveiling of this incredible statue last month in Times Square on Good Morning America, alongside Purina CEO Nina Leigh Krueger, the statue’s artist Kristen Visbal, and actress and advocate Mariska Hargitay.
Why the Courageous Together statue?
Standing just under seven feet tall, this statue depicting a survivor and their dog taking their first step towards healing – complete with a purple leash – is not just a conversation starter, it’s a message to survivors around the world that we see you, and we believe pets are family. Whether they’re four-legged, furry, feathered, scaled, large, or small, we know that every member of the family deserves the opportunity to find safety and healing together.
What’s the conversation?
Domestic violence is not something we often talk about in our daily lives. And we don’t talk about the link between human and animal violence much either. We HAVE to bring both of these conversations from out of the shadows. Here’s what we know:
- 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner (ncadv.org/statistics)
- More than 10 million people are abused by an intimate partner each year (ncadv.org/statistics)
- 71% of women in DV shelters report their abuser threatened, injured or killed a pet (NCADV)
- 97% of respondents said that keeping their pets with them is an important factor in deciding whether or not to seek shelter. (https://urinyc.org/palsreport)
What do we do now?
- Learn more and continue the conversation around DV and pets
- Visit domesticshelters.org and find local DV organizations to support
- Learn how you can help more DV shelters become pet-friendly by visiting 25by2025.org
Since its unveiling, the Courageous Together statue made its next stop at the Westminster Kennel Club, and will be on the move again soon. Stay tuned to see where it stops next!
Photo credit: Purina
