Domestic Abuse Victims Can Find Shelter With Safe Place For Pets

Maggie Marton
by Maggie Marton
Domestic violence can involve all the members of a family – including pets. Safe Place for Pets helps connect people and pets with a safe escape from these situations, so no one is left behind.


While there is a link between domestic abuse and animal abuse, many domestic violence shelters are unable to take in family pets. This makes it difficult for many women – up to 65 percent – to choose to leave their abuser for fear of what will happen to their pet, according to Safe Place for Pets. Further, more than half of victims who enter shelters are forced to leave a pet behind – a harrowing statistic when you consider that 72 percent of women in domestic violence shelters report that their abuser also harmed or killed their pet.


Safe Place for Pets is working to overcome this immense and dangerous problem.


Related: Because Pets Are Now Allowed In More Women’s Shelters


Started by RedRover, an organization dedicated to aiding people and pets in crisis, Safe Place for Pets aims to help abuse victims find a place to care for their pets through an online database of shelters and community programs. The national directory allows victims to search for ways to protect their pets when they flee their abusers.


The organization also advocates for domestic violence victims and their pets by raising awareness about safe pet housing options. The availability of these services will not only encourage more victims leave their abusers without fearing from their pets, and it will not only prevent pets from being left behind in the hands of abusers, but having their loving pet safe and in their arms will also help the victims recover from their trauma.


Related: Animals Can Now Be Considered Victims In The Eyes Of The Law


As well, RedRover, through Safe Place for Pets, offers financial assistance for victims of domestic violence and their pets through the Safe Escape grant program. These include grants that cover emergency boarding and veterinary care, and start-up costs for domestic violence shelters seeking to house pets on-site. As well, the organization offers the American Kennel Club’s Humane Fund Women’s Shelter Grants, which are funds for essential operational support relating to the housing of pets or capital improvements specifically for the housing of pets.


Safe Place for Pets suggests three ways to help: Share their website and mission. On their website, they offer downloadable images that can be shared on blogs and social media. Consider posting a link to their website. Or, check out volunteer options or make a donation to support the mission.


Since its inception in 2013, Safe Place for Pets has added more than 600 programs to its directory. If you need help or want to help this worthy organization, visit the Safe Place for Pets Resources page. Share the love, the understanding and the information – working together, we can educate and inform in an effort to save lives of both human and animal victims.

Maggie Marton is the definition of “crazy dog lady” and an award-winning writer based in Bloomington, Indiana. Obsessed with dogs, she writes for numerous pet-related publications and is active in animal welfare. Recently, she launched her first eBook, Authentic Blogging, to inspire others to write with their own voice. When she’s not reading about dogs, writing about dogs or walking dogs, she loves to hike and nap—both activities usually with her dogs. Maggie lives with her husband, John; Emmett, a pit mix; Lucas, a shepherd mix; Cooper, a pit mix; and Newt, the lone kitty (who, of course, runs the show). You can find her online at OhMyDogBlog.com, on Twitter and Instagram.

Maggie Marton
Maggie Marton

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