The Last Month of the 25 by 2025 Campaign

By Katie Campbell, President and CEO –

As we near the end of the year, we also near the end of our 25 by 2025 campaign. This campaign, created with Greater Good Charities, and powered by PetSmart Charities (with support from Purina and the Purple Leash Project), has focused on helping to ensure that 25% of domestic violence (DV) shelters in the U.S. are pet friendly by the end of 2025. Although we’ll come up a bit short of our goal, we remain committed to continuing the work to keep more DV survivors safe and together with their pets.

We know there are many reasons why a survivor may delay leaving (or are unable to leave) anabuser, but loving an animal doesn’t need to be one of them.

Through the campaign, we’ve raised awareness about the link between human and animal violence. And about the importance of creating programming that not only creates safety, it uplifts the healing process by recognizing whole families. Because many believe, like we do, that pets are family.

It’s also about hope. As Ashley Rumschlag shared at our Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) panel on September 30: “people who don’t feel safe lose hope.” Every time we say to a survivor, “We see you, we see your whole family,” and create the opportunity for them to escape an abuser with their whole family, we empower them to find hope.

While “hope” looks different to everyone, when we holistically support survivors, we give survivors the choice to decide for themselves.

Thank you for helping to bring hope to both ends of the leash.