Victims of domestic violence may have a harder time finding help amid the government shutdown, but their pets won’t.

The Pet and Women Safety Act was passed in December, prior to the shutdown, as part of the farm bill package. It allocates funds to help domestic violence shelters accommodate pets of victims fleeing abuse and extends federal domestic violence protections to the animals.

Only about 3 percent of domestic violence shelters in the nation accept pets, the Humane Society of the United States said in a December news release.

TESSA wasn’t among them, though Executive Director SherryLynn Boyles said it does have an agreement with the local humane society to house pets for a short period. But accommodating pets at the shelter with victims is something she said they’ve wanted to provide for a long time.

“We’ll be looking at if this potentially does give us the ability to do that,” Boyles said.

Advocates say having to leave a pet behind with an abuser, who may have harmed the animal as a means of control over the victim, was one of the many barriers in getting victims to leave unhealthy relationships. The new protections are hoped to empower victims of abuse to seek help, knowing their pets can come too.

“Victims of domestic violence should not have to choose between their safety and that of their beloved pets,” Kitty Block, acting president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said. “By extending federal domestic violence protections to include pets and making funds available to help domestic violence shelters accommodate companion animals, we can support and empower victims and survivors before it’s too late.”

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