Pet Refuge aims to help victims of domestic violence escape
Monday, 20 May 2019
For Lana*, the abuse started with a slap one Christmas Eve. It was from a man with whom she shared a daughter, a house, two german shepherds and two goats.
She hoped it would stop, the abuse became progressively worse, leading to the death of one of her dogs. She feared for her life but felt she didn't have the financial freedom to leave.
'You stay in the relationship because you hope that maybe if you just keep the peace … you just think you can go on with it, because you don't have the money to leave.'
**READ MORE:
* $320m to tackle family and sexual violence in New Zealand
*Ann Yesler: a forgotten victim of intimate partner violence**
* Protecting children from family violence will prevent them perpetrating it later - report
She is convinced her husband killed one of her german shepherds after it became sick.
The day he had promised to take the dog to the vet, she came home from work to find him digging a grave. He refused to let her see the dog's body, threatening to cut its body into pieces with an axe if she did not drop the subject.
He would beat the dogs and drag them outside if they didn't follow his command, and punch their goats in the face if they were stubborn, which was often, Lana said.
'It was a situation where [the dogs] were extremely afraid of him so when he would call them they would start shaking and pee.'
As she re-lived the abuse, Lana* was calm and matter-of-fact. The only time her voice wavered was when she described her daughter watching her pets get abused.
'She would go in her room and cry because he was not someone you could ever confront.'
For Lana, the financial abuse left her the most trapped, but fear for the welfare of her pets also played into why she felt she had to stay.
'You just can't leave them there.'
A Women's Refuge-backed initiative is hoping to change that by building New Zealand's first shelter dedicated to housing the pets of family violence victims.
The Pet Refuge shelter would provide temporary shelter and security for pets in family violence situations. The organisation would also partner with Women's Refuge to transport pets from around New Zealand and have the capacity to house 500 pets, from guinea pigs and rabbits to cats and dogs.
The announcementcomes on the back of research, released on Monday, that has found a person's fear for the family pet has delayed people from leaving an abusive relationship. A number of intimate partner violence victims and their children had also been forced to watch the pet be abused and about a fourth of those surveyed said their partner had killed an animal.
The National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges surveyed 1000 domestic violence victims who had experienced a partner abusing or threatening a pet.
Seventy-three per cent of those surveyed said they would have found it easier to leave if there had been a shelter offering temporary accommodation for their pets.
The costs of building the shelter have already been raised, though the organisation is seeking to raise another $250,000 for the internal fit out on PledgeMe.
The initiative is the brainchild of Julie Chapman, Founder and chief executive of children's charity KidsCan.
WHERE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CAN GET HELP
Women's Refuge (For women and children) - 0800 733 843.
Shine (For men and women) - free call 0508-744-633 between 9am and 11pm.
1737, Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for mental health support from a trained counsellor
What's Up – 0800 942 8787 (for 5–18 year olds). Phone counselling is available Monday to Friday, midday–11pm and weekends, 3pm–11pm. Online chat is available 7pm–10pm daily.
Kidsline – 0800 54 37 54 for people up to 18 years old. Open 24/7.
Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz, or find online chat and other support options here.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger call 111.