Bridgette is a slight and softly spoken person, but with a hidden steely resolve to survive.

That's a good thing, because like vast numbers of other Australian women, the 23-year-old has lived under the pall of domestic violence.

"It went on for three years," Bridgette said.

"There was quite a few times, you know to the point where I thought I was going to lose my life ... quite a few times.

"It got to a point where I tried to leave and I sought help from police and they failed me, sadly.

"It got to a point where I thought if I don't leave this man he is going to kill me."

Experts say successfully fleeing domestic violence, as Bridgette has now done, takes planning and strategy.

There are many things to be considered: the ability to afford somewhere else to stay, then the realities of actually finding another place, the kids, and for traumatised women, even the confidence to be able to do it.

But Heather Fraser from Flinders University said another unexpected factor had become apparent.

Heather Fraser and two of her three dogs, Alice the Bernese Mountain dog and Murray the lucky rescue dog. ( ABC News: Simon Royal )

Often the welfare of family members with four paws is at the forefront of women's minds.

"To walk out without your animals and to leave them exposed to the wrath of the person you walked out on, that's a pretty serious act," Ms Fraser said.

"For the people who have to do that, it is crushing, it is absolutely crushing.

"It is not uncommon for them [pets] to be used as a bargaining chip post separation ... or worse, there have been cases where footage of pets being killed has then being sent to the survivor."

'If my partner would hit me, the dog would lunge at him'

Bridgette re-homed her dog because her pet was targeted by her former partner, especially when it showed protective instincts.

"If my partner would hit me ... basically he [the dog] would come up and kind of lunge at him," she said.

"And of course my partner at the time wouldn't have that."

Bridgette delayed leaving home for Kitty the cat despite being the victim of domestic violence at the time. ( ABC News: Simon Royal )

But that still left Bridgette's tortoiseshell cat, Kitty, which delayed the decision to go.

"Yes, I mean there were a number of things, but that did come into play for sure, definitely," Bridgette said.

"It was 'where am I going to go with her?' Can I take her to where ever place I go when I do leave?' It's also 'is she going to adjust?'"

There are services which will offer a temporary home to pets, not just those fleeing domestic violence, but other people who find themselves homeless.

Not all accommodation lets you take pets

Carley Milich from the Northern Domestic Violence Service does not think that is the best outcome.

"The separation leads to more anxiety, it's more stress for the children in a situation that's already incredibly stressful," Ms Milich said.

There is just one supported accommodation service in Adelaide that allows women leaving domestic violence to bring their pets with them — the one Ms Milich works at.

Heather Fraser says the welfare of family pets is often at the forefront of women's minds. ( ABC News: Simon Royal )

"The ability to have pets stay here I think has aided many a woman in her decision to leave ... knowing they could bring their pet here has helped immeasurably," she said.

"We treat it very seriously because if people don't want to leave, that increases their risk."

Estimates vary as to the number of women who experience domestic violence: a function of both the collection of statistics and the definition of domestic violence.

The White Ribbon Foundation says one in three women will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes, while an ABC fact check from 2016 settled on one in six.

Either way, it is an extraordinary number — but those who experience it rarely speak publicly.

That's something Heather Fraser and Carley Milich plan on changing.

Along with Celine Graham from Relationships Australia, they have been working on an exhibition of photos of domestic violence survivors and their pets.

It's opening on June 9.

Oscar Junior featured in an exhibition aimed at shining a light on the impact of domestic violence on pets. ( Supplied: Carley Milich )

'It's only a dog'

Amongst other things, Ms Milich said she hoped the exhibition would put an end to a comment she often hears, 'why would you live with domestic [violence], just leave, it's only a dog'.

"Say that to the same woman who found her dog in between her and her perpetrator protecting her saving her life," Ms Milich said.

"You'd never say to a woman, 'pick which child you are going to take with you', you'd take them all."

Ms Fraser wants the exhibition to show there's another compelling reason to make sure animals caught up in domestic violence are accommodated too.

It's because pets come into their own at the next stage: life after leaving.

Not all domestic violence accommodation lets you take your pet. ( Supplied: Carley Milich )

"There's so much that they can do in terms of bringing you into the moment and I think for people who have been exposed to domestic violence that relationship can be even more intense and even more crucial in the recovery," Ms Fraser said.

From painful personal experience, Bridgette agrees: life is so much better with her cat and a new dog named Oscar Junior.

"To this day I don't know where I would be if I didn't have these guys with me," she said.

"You know they just offer that 100 per cent support and even if they don't know exactly what is going on you can feel that they love and that seems to be enough.

"You kind of just feel complete with them, it's a big part of recovery I think."