Button, Andrea2015-11-232015-11-232015-12-01http://hdl.handle.net/2097/20584Academics, victims, and advocates have increasingly brought attention to the need for programs and policies to protect and shelter nonhuman victims of domestic violence. Research focused on the “Link” between human-based violence and violence against animals has played a significant role in the creation of these programs, and has prompted a more holistic approach to providing services to all victimized family members. In this dissertation, I focus on the unique origin points of several animal-friendly domestic violence organizations and the models used to serve both human and nonhuman victims, as well as on the individual advocacy and activism of animal-friendly domestic violence organization workers. Data collection from semi-structured interviews with thirty domestic violence workers and advocates provides the foundation for my investigation of the importance of community networks and individual identity as a source of professional navigation of the connected spheres of domestic violence and animal abuse. This study extends the ever-growing collection of research on the “Link” and on the broader discipline of human-animal studies. Finally, this research provides an additional perspective on the use of personal and collective identity to engage in advocacy on behalf of nonhuman victims of domestic violence.en-USdomestic violenceanimal abusehuman-animal interactionsidentitysocial movementsDissertationSociology (0626)