Funding Will Increase Number of Domestic Violence Shelters to Accept Pets
Sacramento, California (February 1, 2023) – The bond with a pet can be a vital source of emotional support for a domestic violence (DV) survivor. Knowing this, abusers often use pets as a tool to coerce and manipulate their partner; thus, up to 48% of survivors delay leaving if they cannot bring their pet with them to safety.
To compound the issue, only 17.14% of national Emergency and Transitional DV Shelters house pets on-site (per DomesticShelters.org), creating an even bigger barrier for survivors and their pets to reach safety.
With the generous support of PetSmart Charities, RedRover and Greater Good Charities, we can help raise awareness about the lack of pet-friendly spaces at DV shelters and effectively increase the number of shelters able to welcome pets onsite. Beginning in 2023, PetSmart Charities is committing $2.25M over the next three years to help reach an ambitious goal – that 25% of DV shelters are pet-friendly by 2025. (“Pet-friendly” means shelters can accept companion animals/pets, in addition to service and emotional support animals.)
“We’re proud to contribute viable solutions to a pressing problem,” said Aimee Gilbreath, president of PetSmart Charities. “No one enduring intimate partner violence should have to stay in dangerous situations for fear their pets will be harmed. Pets are family, and escaping with them alongside helps survivors cope, heal and move forward. We’re grateful to join these stellar organizations and support toward creating awareness of and capacity for creating pet-friendly spaces in shelters.”
This multi-year partnership will allow RedRover and Greater Good Charities to create a national awareness campaign, supply resources and technical assistance through Don’t Forget the Pets. Don’t Forget the Pets is a collaborative training program with Greater Good Charities’ Rescue Rebuild program, to provide more support to DV shelters that are ready to become pet-friendly, as well as help shelters identify and overcome specific barriers to becoming pet-friendly.
RedRover President and CEO Nicole Forsyth said, “Numerous studies have shown both the mental and physical benefits of the human-animal bond. Through our grants, we can help make emergency housing more accessible to both domestic violence survivors AND their pets, which can have a major impact on the healing and recovery process.”
“We are grateful to PetSmart Charities for this generous grant that will allow us to continue our work over the next few years to help keep people and pets together during times of crisis,” said Bryna Donnelly, Vice President of Pet Programs for Greater Good Charities. “We also look forward to increasing the number of pet-friendly domestic violence shelters across the U.S. so survivors have a place they can go to be safe and comforted by their beloved pet.”
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About RedRover
RedRover is a 501(c)(3) national animal welfare nonprofit organization. Since 1987, RedRover has focused on bringing animals out of crisis and strengthening the human-animal bond through emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance, and education. Since 2012, RedRover has awarded 185 grants to domestic violence and animal shelters in 46 states, totaling more than $3 million and providing more than 443,000 safe nights for pets. Additionally, Safe Housing grants have created the first pet-friendly domestic violence shelter in 10 states! RedRover has earned a coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. To learn how RedRover is creating a more compassionate world, visit RedRover.org.
About Greater Good Charities
Greater Good Charities is a 501(c)(3) global nonprofit organization that works to help people, pets, and the planet by mobilizing in response to need and amplifying the good. Greater Good Charities, with a 100/100 rating on Charity Navigator, has invested more than $475 million in impact, including cash grants, in-kind supplies, and programmatic support, to charitable partners in 121 countries since 2007. To learn more about how Greater Good Charities is amplifying the good across the globe, please visit greatergood.org or follow Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.
About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities is committed to making the world a better place for pets and all who love them. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps up to 600,000 pets connect with loving families each year. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to support organizations that advocate and care for the well-being of all pets and their families. Our grants and efforts connect pets with loving homes through adoption, improve access to affordable veterinary care and support families in times of crisis with access to food, shelter and emergency relief. Each year, millions of generous supporters help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities directly at PetSmartCharities.org, while shopping at PetSmart.com, and by using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart® stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting more than $500 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart LLC, PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the past 18 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of rated charities. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org.
Media Contact:
Sheri Madsen
RedRover PR Manager
smadsen@redrover.org or 916.600.8157