What is the Purple Leash Project?
The Purple Leash Project was born out of Purina’s mission to bring and keep pets and people together and RedRover’s® mission to bring animals and their owners from crisis to care.
The Importance of the Purple Leash Project to Purina
Nearly a decade ago, a Purina associate read about the difficult decision many domestic abuse survivors with pets are forced to make: stay with an abuser or leave a beloved pet behind. It seemed unfair that pets, who may be the only source of unconditional love and support for a survivor, weren’t considered. So, we decided to help.
A Pervasive Problem
1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetimes.
A Means of Control
Over 70% of women in domestic violence shelters report their abuser threatened, injured or killed a pet as a means of control.
Inaccessible Resources
Less than 20% of domestic violence shelters in the U.S. accept pets. Purina is working to change that.
Barriers to Leaving
48% of these survivors delay leaving because they can’t bring their pets with them.
Purina’s Investment in Helping Create Pet-Friendly Domestic Violence Shelters
$1.67MM in Grants
Providing monetary grants to domestic violence shelters is a big part of what Purina does through the Purple Leash Project. To date, we’ve awarded 55 grants to shelters across the country to help them become pet friendly. These funds also help to provide essential items like pet beds, heaters and kennels—plus they help cover veterinary costs.
Increasing the Number of Pet-Friendly Shelters
Purina’s work through the Purple Leash Project over the last decade has helped to double the number of pet-friendly domestic violence shelters across the U.S. to nearly 20%. Plus, 49 states now have at least one pet-friendly shelter.
Purina Associates Put in the Work
Our associates have dedicated more than 2,000 volunteer hours renovating shelters such as Lydia’s House in Missouri, Safe Voices in Maine and DVIP in Colorado, to make them pet-friendly havens.
Support at the Federal Level
Purina helped found the PAWS Act coalition, aimed at passing legislation in Congress supporting pet-friendly domestic violence shelters. The coalition worked to pass the Pets and Women Safety Act (PAWS), which provides grants to domestic violence shelters to become pet friendly, allowing survivors to leave a violent situation with their pets. Since the bill’s passage, we continue to advocate for reauthorization of this important program, and for federal appropriations to fund the grants. Bipartisan support helped get the PAWS Act passed and will continue to foster its success going forward.
The Purple Leash Symbol
The purple leash serves as a symbol of the invisible struggle domestic abuse survivors and their pets face. Purple represents domestic violence awareness, and the leash symbolizes the unbreakable bond between pets and their people.
Partnership with RedRover
RedRover has done amazing work over the last 16 years to change how domestic violence shelters and service providers serve domestic abuse survivors and their pets.
The Color Purple & Domestic Violence Awareness
The color purple represents domestic violence awareness. During October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a purple ribbon is used to show symbolic support of domestic abuse survivors.