A person who has decided to leave an abusive relationship may delay that decision if their pet is going to be left behind.
Michelle Greene, executive director of Iris Kirby House in St. John’s, said the emergency shelter has had victims of intimate partner violence call for help, but refuse to leave their home without their pets.
“We have had women who are pretty sure their partner has killed their pet, or told them they would or threatened to kill the pet,” Greene said. “People with pets don’t want to leave their pets behind. If you lose a pet and you get to see the natural progression, that’s one thing, but to have it taken from you in such a violent and powerful way…”
The City of St. John’s Humane Services, in partnership with the RNC and Iris Kirby House, announced Monday the start of the Pet Safe Keeping Program in St. John’s that has volunteers available to foster pets owned by victims of intimate partner violence for up to 30 days.
RNC Chief Joe Boland said the RNC previously partnered with a similar program in Corner Brook that has been very successful. He said enhancing response to intimate partner violence is a priority for the RNC, and the Pets Safe Keeping Program offers a safe alternative to people who feel trapped in abusive relationships.
“This is a community concern and it takes community partnerships to address issues like intimate partner violence,” Boland said. “We started the Pet Safe Keeping Program in Corner Brook a year ago and we’ve had great success with that program. And I can only anticipate the success we will have with the City of St. John’s.
“I encourage other municipalities to look at the success of the program. This is about protecting and allowing our most vulnerable people in society an opportunity to get out of abusive and violent relationships. As we’ve seen in our work many times, people are afraid to leave because of the pet.
“I’m just a new pet owner, but I can tell you our little dog is just as much a part of our family as everybody else. To think someone would have to stay in a relationship because of fear … and this fear is real, it’s not imagined. It’s real fear of your pets being harmed or, in some cases, being killed. And in a lot of cases young children have to experience these type of events.”
St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen said Monday that in 2016 the city put out a call to residents and animal lovers in St. John’s asking volunteers to come forward if they were able to temporarily foster an animal to support the program. To date, 24 residents have signed up.
“The goal of this program is to support victims of intimate partner violence by arranging temporary accommodations for their pets when they are trying to leave an abusive situation,” Breen said. “Since emergency shelters are often not able to accommodate pets, many victims delay leaving an abusive situation for fear of what might happen to their animal.
“We found many generous residents willing to open their homes to foster animals, and we will be seeking more.”
Residents who can foster a pet for up to 30 days are asked to fill out application forms on the City of St. John’s website or email [email protected].
Upon receiving requests, the city’s humane services will make arrangements to admit and secure pets.
