Building Together for Pets and Their People in the Beehive State
July 2nd, 2026
By Johanna Casao, Communications Manager –
MIKE, COMMUNICATIONS AND CONTENT COORDINATOR
Many domestic violence survivors face a barrier when fleeing abuse: up to 50% refuse to leave if they can’t bring their pets. However, only a fraction of shelters in the U.S. can house animals. To help fill this gap, RedRover recently deployed its RedRover Responders team to Utah to expand on-site pet housing options for these families.
My recent trip to Utah was a powerful reminder of why we do what we do at RedRover. We were able to help build three individual pet retreats, creating safe, cozy spaces where pets can stay close to their families at a domestic violence shelter. As part of the communications team, my job was to capture content of the build and interview volunteers and shelter leaders about how much this means to the community.
I felt so grateful to be there, especially after talking with Kristina from Ruff Haven Crisis Sheltering. I was totally blown away by how thankful she was for RedRover. One of our grants helped them build cat enclosures to expand their sheltering space for domestic violence survivors.
Kristina mentioned she tells absolutely everyone about RedRover and our Don’t Forget the Pets partnership with Greater Good Charities, raving about how professional and easy we are to work with. Seeing our impact firsthand makes me incredibly proud to work for RedRover!
TIA JOHNSON, OUTREACH MANAGER and RESPONDERS TEAM LEAD
Our RedRover Responders volunteers traveled to Salt Lake County, Utah, to help a domestic violence shelter accommodate survivors’ pets on-site. Led by Greater Good Charities’ construction team, our volunteers joined together to assist in building housing for companion animals, specifically referred to as “pet retreats.” Pet retreats are similar to a miniature living room, with windows, a couch, pet bedding and toys, and even a television. They provide plenty of space for pets to play, lounge, and sleep, and room for their humans to join for quality time together.
RedRover Responders volunteers provided support in a variety of areas, including building fencing for the attached dog relief areas and play yard. They took charge of renovating the inside of the pet retreats, by painting the walls, installing pet-friendly FRP (fiber-reinforced polymer), and assembling kitty litter hiders and cabinets.
Our volunteer team worked very hard while being in tough conditions, from high heat temperatures to smoke from a nearby wildfire impacting the air quality. But no matter what we faced, the team stuck together to support survivors and their pets finding safety together in Utah.
