No One Should Have To Leave Their Pet With an Abuser
Imagine the terror of living in an abusive environment, fearing for your life and the safety of your children and pets. Sadly, this is a harsh reality for too many individuals.
An estimated 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experience some form of domestic abuse in their lifetimes. For these survivors who own pets, nearly 71% report that their abusers have threatened, injured, or killed their pets.
For these survivors, one heart-wrenching dilemma stands in the way of their escape: the lack of safe accommodations for their pets. Tragically, fewer than 1 in 5 domestic violence shelters provide pet-friendly services, forcing 47% of survivors to make a choice no one should ever face - leave their abusive environment behind, but abandon their pets or remain in danger together. Research has shown that about half will put off leaving if they can't take their pet.
Help rescue ALL domestic violence survivors! Together, we can keep victims of domestic violence and their pets together.
The Greater Good Charities Rescue Rebuild program reimagines shelters for survivors of domestic abuse, renovating and transforming domestic violence shelters to provide safe, inviting places for survivors and their pets.
Will you help us provide safety for survivors of domestic violence and their pets? Just $100 offers a night of safety to a survivor.
Updates from the field:
In January 2025, Rescue Rebuild headed to Georgia to help LiveSafe Resources expand its services to be more pet-friendly. The organization, which was the first in the state of Georgia to open a domestic violence shelter, provides an emergency shelter, transitional housing, counseling, legal advocacy, a 24-hour crisis line, and other services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse. Their new project involved providing safety and comfort for the pets of survivors seeking shelter.
A Rescue Rebuild team helped LiveSafe turn an unused portion of their property into four retreat areas for pets. To do so, they split two prefabricated sheds into two units each and added insulation, frames, and sheetrock to keep them warm. Enrichment items like toys, cat shelves, and dog beds make it extra cozy, while new easy-to-clean flooring was added. Finally, insulated dog doors lead out to new chained in pet relief areas, that can also be accessed via a new sidewalk.
Your donations have made this possible, allowing pets and their owners a comfortable and safe space to bond.
In November 2024, Rescue Rebuild undertook a project to make things easier for survivors with pets and to provide domestic violence shelter residents with more privacy. The team visited Iris Domestic Violence Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which serves eight parishes throughout the state. In addition to confidential housing, they offer services like counseling and crisis intervention.
A new service they're now offering is a day kennel on site so pet owners know their furry friends are safe while they attend to other matters. As part of the Rescue Rebuild project, the kennel was built out with six chain link kennels inside and outside kennels with a dog door to allow the pups outdoor access. Two chain-link play yards were among other outdoor additions.
Inside, the felines were addressed. Cat window boxes and cat shelves were added to rooms for needed enrichment, as well as mental and physical health boosts for the resident cats. Cats can have a hard time adjusting to new routines and environments, so items like this can help ease the struggle. A half wall was also set up in the hallway between the child advocacy area and the pet-friendly wing so pets and children, as well as the adults on site, can have their own spaces and privacy.
Your donations helped all this happen.
In July, the Rescue Rebuild program traveled to Boulder County, Colorado, to make SPAN, or Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, pet-friendly. The shelter now has four new doggie play yards, cat enrichment spaces indoors, and pet-proof flooring in 10 bedrooms. The project also added additional space for the new four-legged residents.
This has become an increasingly important service in SPAN's community, too. Broomfield Police reported a 31% increase in domestic violence-related assaults last year, while police departments in Boulder County responded to 1,800 domestic assaults.
This project also helped whittle away at the goal of having 25% of domestic violence shelters become pet-friendly by 2025.
Your donations can help us all achieve this milestone.
In October, Rescue Rebuild brought 26 volunteers to Liberty House in Albany, Georgia, for 13 days to replace a dilapidated shed with a fenced play yard and a new structure that houses three separate pet retreats for the dogs and cats of domestic violence survivors.
The separate suites of the “Paws Playhouse” each have pet beds and other living-room-like furnishings, AC, toys, and access to covered outdoor spaces. The space is also ADA-accessible.
Future residents of Liberty House won’t have to choose between staying in an unsafe situation or leaving their pets behind in one. Instead, they’ll have safe on-site housing for their dogs or cats where they can spend time with their pets every day. The new structure offers 1095 nights of safety for pets of Liberty House guests.
Your donation can help make more builds like this one possible.
Rescue Rebuild is a program of Greater Good Charities whose mission is to provide aid to shelters in order to improve the lives of animals by participating in outreach trips, collecting supplies for shelters and educating the public on proper animal care.
