LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Center for Women and Families is breaking down barriers that keep victims from seeking safety by providing emergency housing options for their pets, too.
The Center helps women and children escape abusive environments, but Elizabeth Wessels-Martin, its president and CEO, said one of the roadblocks for victims getting out is the fear of leaving behind a family pet.
“The goal of the Center is to provide safety for the entire family, and pets are part of our family,” she said. “In many domestic violence cases, not only are families hurt, but pets are often hurt as well. Pets are often used as an intimidation technique to demonstrate power or control over family members."
In 2001, the Center started taking pets in emergency situations. Then in 2016, thanks to a donation from the Swope Foundation, the Center was able to build the Safe Haven Pet Center. There are three dog kennels and a cat space in the basement. So far, they have been able to help more than 100 pets and their owners.
The Center for Women and Families in Louisville, Ky.
“We have had so many family members say they would’ve never come if they couldn’t have brought the pet,” Wessels-Martin said.
Still, it’s a service that Wessels-Martin said not many people realize they offer, and she hopes more people will feel free to take advantage of it if they need to.
“For a lot of folks, it is a life or death situation,” Wessels-Martin said. “If they’re not going to leave without taking their pet, then we feel like it’s our obligation to have that safety for them.”
The dogs and cats can stay for about a week. Then, thanks to a partnership with the Kentucky Humane Society, if a family needs to stay longer than a week, they can apply to find foster homes for the pets. It’s a service offered at no charge.
The Center provides all the dog and cat food, bedding, toys, litter and supplies for free. To learn more about the Center or help by making a donation, click here.
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