Former actress and founder of non-profit organization No More Tears, Somy Ali, says her organization also rescues animals, especially the pets of the victims. She revealed that many times the victims of domestic violence did not leave because of their pets, and thus she started welcoming them as well as their pets in her support home.
Sharing how one incident brought her attention to this, she said, “For many victims of domestic violence, their pets are like family, and leaving them behind to escape the abuse isn’t an option. Early in my career, I rescued a domestic violence survivor who told me she had endured beatings for five years—not because she didn’t want to go to a safe house, but because those shelters didn’t allow pets.”
“The idea that victims wouldn’t leave due to their pets hadn’t crossed my mind before. From that moment on, I made it a priority that NMT would take in pets too, alongside the victims. It’s now a permanent part of our mission and remains so to this day,” she added.
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Jun 13, 2026She believes that many pets are brought into households because of the kids; however, in most of the domestic violence cases, they become an emotional support for the victims, who are mostly women.
“It’s a psychological comfort they get, both from giving and receiving unconditional love from their pets, especially while living in abusive environments. Nowadays, other shelters do allow pets, but my issue is that they often separate the victims from their animals. This goes against the idea of rescuing pets alongside their owners. At NMT, we don’t do that,” she said.
“We ensure that victims can keep their pets with them in the safe spaces we provide. Pets are family, and just like in my life, they are family to the victims too. And families stay together,” she added.
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Jun 13, 2026Somy herself had four dogs between 2000 and 2010, but unfortunately, they passed away due to various ailments and had to be euthanized over time. She added, “It was one of the most heartbreaking experiences of my life. That’s why I was so determined to include rescuing victims' pets, along with their children, in our mission.”
