Companion Animal Care Articles used with permission from All-Creatures.org

The National Link Coalition reports on a new study that sheds light on the benefits of therapy dogs for victims of domestic violence.

Study Explores Use of Therapy Dogs with Domestic Violence Victims
From The National Link Coalition
June 2025

Photo from Canva/Pexels

Animal-assisted therapy has been implemented for many decades for a wide range of individuals, but a new study sheds light on an innovative intervention working with adult and adolescent victims of domestic violence.

The researchers, based at Pittsburgh’s Crisis Center North and Pennsylvania State University, conducted three surveys involving: 1,648 children and adolescents in Crisis Center North’s school-based prevention education program; 12 child and 41 adult clients in the program’s domestic violence counseling division; and 69 domestic violence victims in court.

The study had three purposes:

(1) to explore the impact of pet ownership on children and adolescents within the context of bullying and school violence;
(2) to document the impact of therapy animals on domestic violence victims; and
(3) to document the impact of working canines in courts on domestic violence victims.

Findings from the three surveys documented the psychological benefits of interacting with pets and animals that provide therapeutic services. Children and adolescents with pets at home were reported to have greater coping skills than their peers without pets. Both adult victims of domestic violence and their children and adolescents saw therapeutic benefits from working with therapy animals, including increased comfort during therapy and increased likelihood of attendance.

Within the context of legal advocacy within the courts, clients noted that the presence of canine court advocates made them more comfortable appearing at hearings and more likely to attend court when an animal is present.

The authors emphasized that one of the largest obstacles domestic violence programs face is building a level of trust with survivors. “The utilization of therapy dogs could be a powerful tool in providing a welcoming environment for victims initially seeking services. This study indicates that working animals can play a critical role in establishing and maintaining client connection with their local domestic violence center,” they concluded.

—Chapin, J.R., Coleman, G.A., & Brayack, M. (2025). It’s all about the ruff: Utilizing therapy dogs to address trauma in domestic violence settings. People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 8(1). https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/paij/vol8/iss1/3

---

Posted on All-Creatures.org: June 11, 2025
Return to Companion Animal Care