One of the many barriers families face in making the difficult and often dangerous decision to escape their abuser is fear for the safety of their pets. Over the years, Rose Brooks Center’s emergency hotline has received countless calls from individuals who desire to leave their abuser, but are afraid that if they do, their abuser will hurt or kill their pet. Many plainly say, “I won’t leave. Not without my pet.”
As you may already know, in 2012, Rose Brooks Center opened the first on-site pet facility in the region. Since that time, expansion of the pet program has included a cat shelter and aptly named catio, (that’s a cat patio, btw), private shelter bedrooms that now accommodate pets, and training and advocacy to other agencies to better serve victims and their pets.
Rose Brooks Center fully understands the critical need for more pet-related services and resources. It is because of this need that three local service agencies – KC Pet Project, Rose Brooks Center, and Synergy Services – have come together to create another access point for survivors to get help when there is a co-occurrence of pet abuse and domestic violence. ICU, which stands for “Identify, Connect, and Unite,” was formed to train Animal Services Division how to screen for domestic violence when dispatched on an animal abuse, neglect, or bite case. By improving the coordinated community response of animal welfare systems, domestic violence agencies, and transitional housing agencies to the co-occurrence of DV and pet abuse, we can take one more step in breaking the cycle of domestic violence and protecting survivors and their beloved pets.
