In cases of intimate partner violence, SPCA program finds a safe space for pets

An SPCA program that works in conjunction with other support agencies provides temporary accommodations for pets whose owners are impacted by intimate partner violence.

Paws and Support is a free program that finds foster arrangements for pets while their owners seek "short-term in-hospital treatment or transition out of domestic violence relationships."

"We're aware that pets can be used, sort of in a corrosive way, to keep people staying in an unsafe situation,"  said Heather Woodin, the SPCA's chief of animal operations. "So, it's important that we have a program for people fleeing a situation to bring their pet with them to safety."

Woodin said people need to know their pet is safe during a crisis and that they can be reunited when the time is right.

With gender-based violence on the rise, she said it's important to have these programs available. Women's shelters, for example, often don't allow pets. 

Intimate partner violence victims always get moved to the top of the foster home list, said Woodin.

Pets in the program are placed into a foster home once they are medically cleared, she said. No information about the owner or why the pet is in the program is shared.

Foster homes only know the animal's needs. The location and identity of the foster home is also kept confidential.

The volunteers who are fostering these pets go through training and must abide by strict confidentiality rules, said Woodin.

Pet owners must contact a support agency. The agency then contacts the SPCA on their behalf.

Nicole McGowan works for the SPCA in Dartmouth. She has fostered an animal through the program. 

"It's quite rewarding to take an animal in, and you're basically babysitting," McGowan said. "You're treating them as … your own for a period of time."

She said it's fulfilling to help a community member and their pet, she said. The shelter can be quite stressful for a pet who is used to being in a home with its owner.

"They don't understand why they're there [at the shelter] and where their people went," she said.

Foster parents know the pets are always going to be returned to owners as soon as they're in a safe place, McGowan said. The animal she had in her care was with her for about six weeks. 

Woodin said there is no time limit on how long someone can have a pet in the program. The average time a pet is at a foster home is 30 days.

The program is funded solely through donations. There is no cost to the pet owners who use the program.

People who foster the pets have all items such as food and bedding covered by donations.

There's a cost to run the program, Woodin said. But she said the cost of not having the program outweighs it.

For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.