‘Seeing her hurt was more than I could bear’: the family pets left in limbo amid Australia’s domestic violence crisis

Advocates know pets are often abused or used to control victims. They also say that, despite violence towards animals being a high-risk factor, it’s not well acknowledged by police and governments. Photograph: Rebecca Cole/Alamy

Sarah* looked down at her phone and saw the text. It had no words – just a picture of her dog tied up in the sun, on a dirt road she didn’t know. It was January, the hottest part of the year.

She says it was sent by her husband, who she had left nine weeks earlier, fleeing with her two children.