Rowan's Survivor Story

By Savannah Verdon, Development and Engagement Coordinator II

Last month we shared our inaugural Survivor Story, a brief look into the lived experiences of survivors of domestic violence and their pets. Though these stories may at times be upsetting to read, they offer a powerful reminder of the necessity of more domestic violence shelters nationwide becoming pet friendly. No one should have to choose between enduring abuse or leaving their pet behind, but all of us can work together to be the lifesaving differences for pets and families in crisis. This is Rowan’s Survivor Story.

Even after her divorce was finalized, Rowan* hadn’t found the sense of safety and freedom she wanted and needed. Her former spouse lived next door and felt emboldened to harass her in her own home. Never knowing when he would show up or what he would do next, she relied heavily on her two dogs, Chance* and Coop*, and her cat Noah* to comfort her and soothe her anxiety. Before long, she couldn’t live another day in fear.

When she left, she wasn’t able to bring Chance, Coop, or Noah with her. It broke her heart, and she was not reassured when her ex-husband promised to take care of them. She had been at at the domestic violence shelter for a month the day he stopped responding when she asked about them and then blocked her phone number without warning. Soon thereafter, he showed up at the shelter with all of her belongings and her three babies. He threatened to kill them all if Rowan didn’t take them right then and there.

Rowan had been worried sick about her dogs and cat every day for a month and now she was panicked by the prospect of losing them. The domestic violence shelter did not accept pets, and she couldn’t afford to have them boarded, not to mention paying for the vaccines and parasite prevention they would need to be eligible for boarding. More than anything, she wanted to find a safe home where they could all live together in peace and freedom, but that seemed more out of reach than ever.

Her advocate at the shelter could see how much Chance, Coop, and Noah meant to Rowan. Together they applied for a RedRover Relief Safe Escape grant that would not only pay for them to be boarded, but would also provide them the veterinary care they needed. Once they were all safely boarded, Rowan could focus on finding them a safe home. Just two months after entering the shelter, Rowan had found an apartment that the four of them were able to move into together – the outcome every survivor deserves.

Before Rowan left the shelter for her next chapter, her advocate asked what the Safe Escape grant had meant to her. Like so many survivors, her response reflects the truly lifesaving difference that keeping pets and families together through crisis can make:

We are grateful for your compassionate heart and for your commitment to making happy, peaceful lives possible for survivors and their pets. We’ll be back next month with another Survivor Story. Until then, you can visit 25by2025.org to learn more about our goal to help 25% of domestic violence shelters nationwide become pet friendly by 2025!

*Names have been changed to protect privacy