Pandemic Pets

How the Demand for Dogs Affects In‐Home Domestic Violence During Covid ‐19

Bibliographic Data

ID8258767
AuthorsErika A Davies Rodriguez (Union College), Zachary Rodríguez (0000-0002-4895-6998, Union College, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume85
Issue3
Pages371-379
Publication date2026-03-05
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Economics and Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9246 • E-ISSN: 1536-7150
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ajes.70031
OpenAlexW7134168007
LanguageEN
References cited12

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, Dallas County, Texas implemented a 52‐day shelter‐in‐place order, forcing residents to remain at home. Using daily crime reports and animal shelter intake data, we study the effect of household pet outflows on in‐home violence. We find that the shelter‐in‐place order is associated with increased in‐home assaults, particularly against women. The way pets exit households matters, as we find fostering pets mitigates in‐home violence, while owner surrenders are associated with increased assaults during the order. These results highlight pets as a previously understudied factor in domestic violence dynamics and suggest that coordinated policies integrating animal shelters, women's shelters, and law enforcement could improve safety. By facilitating safe pet placement, such interventions may allow victims to leave abusive households more freely, reducing family violence and protecting both humans and animals

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Domestic violence · Enforcement · Law enforcement · Pandemic · Poison control · Psychological intervention · Gun Ownership and Violence Research · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Human-Animal Interaction Studies · Rabies epidemiology and control

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