From easy-to-clean floors to a grooming room to a colour palette toned for dog and cat eyes, a building rising in New York is clearly a place for pets.
But it’s not an animal hospital or a doggy daycare. Rather, it’s what organisers say is the nation’s first domestic violence shelter custom-built for victims to keep their pets in their apartments.
Expected to open in October and house up to 100 people, it builds on a growing roster of shelters that accommodate animals so their owners won’t hesitate to leave abusive homes. Organisers say it’s the first specifically designed for every apartment to house people with pets. “By doing so from the ground up, with not only humans in mind but pets in mind, it’s going to allow for a fuller recovery for pets and the entire family,” says Dr. Kurt Venator, chief veterinary officer of Nestle Purina PetCare Co., which is contributing supplies and expertise to the $20 million project.
The Urban Resource Institute, a shelter operator, is running the facility, financed through private donations and some government support.
The crucial link
Studies have documented links between domestic violence and animal cruelty and have noted some victims’ reluctance to leave without their pets. Some fear their abusers will retaliate by harming the animals.
The number of pet-friendly domestic violence shelters nationwide has grown from four in 2008 to dozens in recent years. But about 97% of shelters still don’t accept pets, according to Urban Resource Institute CEO Nathaniel Fields.
