Haven Women’s Center to shelter families’ pets, too

In a happy coincidence, Haven Women’s Center of Stanislaus reported Wednesday – which was National Puppy Day – that it will begin housing pets of women and children staying in its shelter program.

Using a $6,000 RedRover Relief Safe Housing Grant and a $2,000 gift from Wal-Mart, Haven has built two 6-by-10-foot kennels surrounded by an enclosed dog run. The money also provided indoor kitty condos and dog crates to allow smaller animals to stay in families’ bedrooms.

Sacramento-based RedRover provides grants for financial assistance and support to help domestic violence survivors and their pets escape abusive situations. Haven started its grant application process in September and received funding in November, said its emergency services manager, Roberta Brown.

A roof has yet to be added to the kennels, and Brown said the hope is to have them available for use by the end of April. Already, one small dog is able to stay with its family in a room crate, she said.

The importance of keeping companion animals with women and children is twofold, Brown said. “One, it’s very common for abusive people to use pets as a mechanism of control,” she said. “Domestic violence is all about control, and many pets are very important to their owners, and abusers know that. And they will use their pets against them – threaten them, harm them, take them away. So there’s the issue of pet safety if they leave their pets behind. I’ve worked with many, many women whose partners have killed their animals.

“And the other part is the emotional support. They say it’s very calming just to have your animal near you, to pet an animal, it can calm someone who’s panicking. ... We have had many people in the past opt not to use our shelter because we don’t have the capacity to house their animals.”

The kennels have been built on the grounds of Haven’s shelter, which is at an undisclosed location in Stanislaus County and can house up to 23 women and children. For the past five-plus years, the center has been able to house pets at Best Friends Pet Resort in Patterson, but not all families have the resources to go visit the animals.

“We know that many people will not seek services if they are forced to give up their pets. It’s exciting to see that Haven Women’s Center has removed a huge barrier to asking for help,” Best Friends Pet Resort owner Augusta Farley said in a statement.

Kennel capacity at the Haven shelter is enough for two medium to large dogs and two smaller dogs, Brown said. If a couple of dogs from the same family can be housed together, the capacity increases slightly, she said, and Farley has agreed to continue sheltering any overflow. But Brown believes the kennel capacity will be sufficient, as Haven typically needs to shelter only six to eight animals a year. That’s because some families have reached out to friends or relatives to look after their pets.

At the Haven shelter, families will feed and clean up after their pets, but will be provided pet food, cat litter and other necessities. “The Humane Society is offering us food,” Brown said, adding that “Beckwith Veterinary Hospital is donating veterinary care, so all animals will get an exam. They’re donating their services and we will pay the hard costs ... (for) the medications for vaccinations and flea treatments. They’ll sell it to us at cost.”

The next step in accommodating pets is some remodeling in the Haven shelter itself, Brown said. The building has some poorly utilized space that for an estimated $6,000 can be built into two additional bedrooms. The remodeling will allow for two pet-friendly bedrooms so animals are not kept in any other rooms, since many people have pet allergies, she said.

Donations of pet supplies are welcome, Brown said, “but honestly, the best donation is going to be money because we can use it as needed. We’re going to have to pay for medications. A lot of times, people in abusive situations are not allowed to take care of some basic needs, like taking animals to the vet, getting shots, getting flea treatments. So we are anticipating a lot of costs, really needing those services.”

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Haven Women’s Center to shelter families’ pets, too."