The overwhelming need for Pet Refuge has seen the organisation running at capacity for the past five months, with the charity now launching an urgent appeal for funds to ensure no pet is turned away.

Pet Refuge, which celebrated its first birthday last month, provides temporary shelter and care for pets affected by domestic violence, keeping them safe while their owners escape abuse.

The Refuge works very hard to never turn a pet away. To achieve this the charity has partnered with a number of trusted catteries and kennels around New Zealand to house pets until space becomes available at the Pet Refuge shelter.

Seventeen pets are currently boarding at external partner facilities and five cats are even being cared for at the home of Pet Refuge founder Julie Chapman.

“The need is so great that partnering with other reputable catteries and kennels enables us to keep saying yes. But it comes at a financial cost of $25 a day, which is why we are launching an urgent appeal for support,” Julie says. “In the medium to long term we are aiming to build another shelter, but that doesn’t help with our pressing immediate need so we are calling on caring Kiwis to support us by donating $25 (or whatever they can afford) so we can continue to provide safe beds for pets affected by family violence.”

A Women’s Refuge survey in 2018 showed clearly that animal abuse is a tool used by abusers to assert and maintain power over victims - since then the prevalence of this type of abuse has only risen. While the number of women seeking shelter for their pets has increased, The Refuge has also been receiving more urgent and alarming calls.

“Recently, we had a woman who had gone to hospital and needed surgery after suffering abuse. She was so worried about her pet she wouldn’t have surgery until we moved him to safety,” says Julie.

“We’ve also had calls from several women who have escaped to parks and were calling with nowhere to take their pet. Again, we went and picked them up.”

Since the Refuge opened its doors 175 pets and their families have been helped to escape abuse. Of those 115 have been reunited with their owners or gone to loving forever homes, when going back to their original home is not possible. This is often because the pet’s family cannot find rental accommodation that will accept pets.

Fear for their pet’s safety is a major factor that prevents people leaving abusive relationships. The Women’s Refuge survey of women whose partners had abused or threatened their pets also found 53% delayed leaving family violence out of fear for their pet’s safety. The Refuge has also received calls from and helped a small handful of men who needed help with their pets while they escape abuse, since opening.

Pet Refuge is today launching an urgent appeal aiming to raise $200,000 to continue operations. The refuge relies on donations to continue running. The money helps house pets off site until they can come to the shelter, transport them from anywhere in the country, buy blankets, toys and exercise equipment, medication, and pays for vets, expert animal carers, case workers and support staff. Rehabilitation from abuse is sometimes required and enrichment and love are a given.

To donate visit www.petrefuge.org.nz or call 09 975 0850 to donate what you can afford or join our monthly giving programme. $25 a month to give a pet a safe bed. Your monthly donation will cover shelter expenses such as a safe place to sleep at night, warmth, bedding, enrichment and exercise, transport, vet healthcare, animal behaviour therapy, and expert animal carers and case workers who will be a vital part of the shelter.

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