The Purple Leash Project was born out of the Purina mission to bring and keep pets and people together and the RedRover® mission to bring animals and their owners from crisis to care.
Stars indicate which states have pet-friendly shelters through grants provided by the Purple Leash Project.
Today, 48 of 50 states have at least one pet-friendly domestic violence shelter, but there is much more work to do. Our goal is to have 25 percent of shelters be pet-friendly by 2025. To date we have donated over $1M to support our efforts to make more domestic violence shelters pet-friendly.
Visit RedRover’s resource directory for survivors and advocates that lists pet-friendly programs across the U.S. and Canada: SafePlaceForPets.org.
The purple leash serves as a visible symbol of an invisible struggle for domestic abuse victims and their pets. Purple represents domestic violence awareness, and the leash symbolizes the unbreakable bond between pets and their owners.
Purina’s work to help keep domestic violence survivors and their pets together began nearly a decade ago when one of our associates read about the difficult decision that many domestic violence survivors with pets were being forced to make — stay in an abusive situation or leave a beloved pet behind due to the lack of pet-friendly shelters. It didn’t seem fair that pets, who may be the only source of unconditional love and support for a victim, weren’t being considered when it came to sheltering survivors. So, we decided to help.
Since that time, Purina has helped one of the largest domestic violence shelters in the U.S. on it’s journey to become a leading voice and shining example of pet-friendly sheltering. We also helped create the PAWS Act Coalition in support of the Pets and Women Safety (PAWS) Act, which helps domestic abuse victims and their pets by advocating for federal resources dedicated to this cause.
And in 2019, together with RedRover, we created the Purple Leash Project to continue to advocate for change and serve the needs of survivors and their pets at a national level. We do this by awarding grants to help domestic violence shelters become pet-friendly, engaging volunteers to help with the transformations and linking arms with allies to offer ongoing support for survivors with pets as new opportunities arise.
Today, our goal is to help ensure that at least 25 percent of U.S. domestic violence shelters offer pet-friendly survivor services by the end of 2025. But our long-term goal is to fundamentally change the landscape of domestic violence services for survivors with pets, so that no pet owner has to choose between her own safety and the safety of her pet.
The PAWS Act was passed in 2018. Now Purina and other members of the PAWS Act Coalition are continuing efforts to lobby for federal funding and additional support on Capitol Hill.
Our volunteers have dedicated more than 1,500 hours renovating shelters, such as Lydia’s House in Missouri and Safe Voices in Maine, to make them pet-friendly havens.
So far, we’ve awarded more than 25 grants to domestic violence shelters throughout the country to help them make the transition to welcoming pets.
Together with RedRover, Purina is working to help change that. Our larger goal is to continue to push to have an impact on the overall domestic violence services landscape.
We’ll keep you updated on the latest news and information on the Purple Leash Project.