Owner hugging her dog

Safer Together®

Safety Together IllustrationHelping people and pets find safety together

Banfield Foundation® and professional football champion and pet advocate, Russell Wilson, are joining forces to help raise awareness of the fact that in homes where domestic violence occurs, pets are often victims too. In addition to his work on the Safer Together® initiative, Wilson is a pet lover and advocate for domestic violence awareness and prevention.

In March 2019, the Banfield Foundation announced its commitment to raising awareness of the link between domestic violence and animal abuse by committing to invest $1 million over four years through its new Safer Together® initiative. The program is designed to help create a world in which victims of domestic violence and their pets can find safety together.

With your support, the foundation and Russell Wilson aim to raise awareness and inspire action to help people and pets be Safer Together®. Because when we help pets, we help people too.

Read more about domestic violence and animal abuse

"Each year, millions of domestic violence victims stay in abusive situations because they fear for the safety of their pet. Today, less than 10% of domestic violence shelters allow pets.

Victims of domestic violence should never have to make a choice between their own safety and the safety of their loved ones — including pets."

Banfield Foundation’s Safer Together® initiative supports nonprofit organizations helping people and pets escape domestic violence. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and is in need of immediate support, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. You can also explore a list of domestic violence shelters offering resources for pets at Sheltering Animals and Families Together. See more

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Help our efforts to provide veterinary care for pets in need, critical medical equipment for shelter and rescue organizations, shelter and disaster relief, resources for survivors of domestic abuse to transition to safety with their pets, and more.

All donations are 100% tax deductible.

Donate to the Banfield Foundation