Purina And RedRover Award New Purple Leash Grants

Angela Vuckovic
by Angela Vuckovic
Kseniia Perminova/Shutterstock

Working together with a nonprofit RedRover, Purina continues to work on their one-of-a-kind Purple Leash project and they’ve just announced that they’ve awarded four new grants! For those of you that didn’t know, the Purple Leash project was conceived as a joint effort of the two, with the goal of keeping pets and their owners together and getting them from tough situations to a better place – by helping make domestic violence shelters pet-friendly. 


Going through abuse is difficult enough on its own, but when people are forced to surrender their pets or leave them behind just to get away from domestic violence, matters become even starker. Having in mind that only about 15% of domestic violence shelters in the US allow pets, many victims delay leaving their abuser and expose themselves to further harm rather than being parted with their four-legged best friend. This is what Purina and RedRover are looking to change with their funding, which provides pet-friendly upgrades and resources to domestic abuse survivors and their pets at each shelter, including pet-safe housing, veterinary care, outdoor pet play yards, and supplies.


The latest four to receive grants are Finding Grace Ministries in Jefferson, County, Missouri; Women's Resource Center in Newport County, Rhode Island; Monarch Services - Servicios Monarca in Santa Cruz County, California and Seminole County Victims' Rights Coalition Inc in Seminole County, Florida, but Purple Leash has funded many more since it was founded in 2019. Since then to this date, 34 grants totaling $701,850 have now been gifted to domestic violence shelters across the US by Purina, which has provided more than $1 million in funding toward a goal of helping to ensure that at least 25% of domestic violence shelters are pet-friendly by 2025.


Each of the shelters that have been awarded the funding will use the Purple Leash Project grants to fund projects and services unique to the needs of their location, which range from pet-friendly flooring, catios, pet play yards, fence installations, and so on. The goal is to ensure that survivors are not separated from their pets – and that they get to embark on a new chapter of their lives with their furry best friend by their side. A beautiful mission that we hope many others will join down the road and make the majority of domestic violence shelters pet-friendly!


To learn more about the Purple Leash Project, donate or sign up for ongoing updates, visit www.PurpleLeashProject.com


If you know someone who is being abused and ready to leave with their pet, they can find information on pet-friendly shelters in their area at www.SafePlaceForPets.org.

Angela Vuckovic
Angela Vuckovic

A proud mama to seven dogs and ten cats, Angela spends her days writing for her fellow pet parents and pampering her furballs, all of whom are rescues. When she's not gushing over her adorable cats or playing with her dogs, she can be found curled up with a good fantasy book.

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