by Heide Brandes
To address the worries and dangers
that survivors of domestic violence
have about leaving their beloved pets behind, Palomar Family Justice Center in Oklahoma City received a special grant from Purina and the nonprofit group RedRover for new kennel space to house animals that might be at risk.
Purina and RedRover granted the funding as a continued commitment to survivors of domestic abuse. Purple Leash Project grants are given to domestic-violence shelters across the country to ensure that services provided to human survivors of domestic abuse are extended to family pets. Animals typically have not been allowed into most shelters but play a key role in whether a victim will leave the abuser.
For Palomar Family Justice Center, which provides all the services a domestic-violence survivor needs, the grant and new kennels build on the mission and resources provided to families.
“When Palomar first opened five years ago, we quickly saw that survivors were bringing in their pets — anything from a dog or cat to turtles and goats. When you think about a family system, animals are a really crucial part for many people,” said Kim Garrett, CEO and founder of Palomar. “At that time, there was no specialized advocacy for animals. There was no specialized training in domestic violence and animal abuse, even though there was a very strong correlation. Some of the research points to an 80 percent correlation. If there is domestic violence, there is also animal abuse.”
To address that need, Palomar partnered with the Oklahoma Humane Society to create the Animal Advocacy Program. When domestic-violence survivors turn to Palomar for help, an animal advocate can help care for companion animals while survivors focus on escaping violence and finding a safe place.
Palomar Family Justice Center in Oklahoma County received $30,000 to build an outdoor kennel structure at a separate location in collaboration with Oklahoma Humane Society to provide immediate emergency shelter for animals affected by abuse.
Helping Human Victims and Animals
Palomar opened in 2017 as a resource of 15 partners designed to help people who suffer from violence. Instead of going to numerous agencies in different places in the city, a client now has a central location in which to access all the services needed.
When survivors turn to Palomar, they are presented with resources to develop a customized safety plan to best meet their needs. The partner agencies and resources help in a variety of ways such as developing
a personal safety plan, filing victim protective orders, filing police reports, finding emergency housing, receiving assistance from Legal Aid, and receiving counseling and medical services.
However, what was missing was a way to make sure a person’s pet didn’t fall prey to the violence of an abuser who might harm the animal as a way to punish the victim. “The tremendous need for the Animal Advocacy Program has greatly exceeded our expectations. Before starting the program, we anticipated that the need was there, but we didn’t have any solid data of what the need would look like,” said Anden Bull, chief operating officer for Palomar. “The sheer number of animals and clients that this program has been able to bring to safety has vastly exceeded any number I anticipated in 2018.”
The greatest success for Palomar’s Animal Advocacy Program is when clients and pets reunite after fostering and both can go home to safety.
“This program has also garnered national attention because it is the first of its kind in a family justice center. I think it speaks volumes to our accomplishments when other family justice centers across the country are seeking to replicate what we are doing in Oklahoma City,” said Bull. “Since the need is so great, the biggest need is recruiting and maintaining fosters. We currently have more clients needing to foster their animals to seek safety than we do available fosters. This creates difficult decisions for our clients of either remaining in a dangerous situation themselves, leaving their pets behind in a dangerous situation, or potentially surrendering their pets.”
Shelter Provides Range of Services
Services provided by the Animal Advocacy Program at Palomar include pet supplies, temporary foster placement for pets, veterinary care, pet security deposits, and a pet safety plan. The program can also help with abuse-related police reports pertaining to animals. The program fosters all types of animals — including guinea pigs, goats, birds, and snakes.
What the six new kennels allow is for more animals to be cared for.
“This allows us to have more capacity while we’re triaging pets and finding safe homes for them or foster homes for them until they can be reunited with their pet owners or adopted,” Garrett said, adding that the kennels are in a secure, confidential location off-site.
Palomar operates as a walk-in center with no appointment needed. Those who need to seek assistance can go to 1140 North Hudson Avenue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The public can also call (405) 552-1010 or e-mail advocacy@ okhumane.org to get connected to the Animal Advocacy Program’s services.
Foster families for animals are desperately needed. Please visit https://palomarokc.org for more information.
“Thanks to Purina and RedRover, we will now be able to provide immediate, emergency shelter for animals affected by domestic violence. We will no longer have to ask victims to wait until we can line up a committed foster home for their animals, which unfortunately could mean life or death for that animal and that victim,” said Elizabeth Stoverink, director of the Animal Advocacy Program. “We are so proud of the progress we have been able to make in the Animal Advocacy Program, and we are excited for our new partnership with Purina.”
Since the Purple Leash Project launched in 2019, Purina and RedRover have given 21 grants totaling more than $375,000 to help domestic-violence shelters care for pets, leaving survivors with more options when trying to flee dangerous situations. With almost half of domestic-violence survivors choosing to delay leaving their abusers out of fear of what might happen to their pets, pet-friendly shelters can save lives.
