Pet Refuge plans for more centres to meet increasing demand

Pet Refuge celebrated its first birthday on Friday with a pamper party. Photo / RNZ

Michelle Cooke for RNZ
‘Without Pet Refuge I wouldn’t have left’

This story discusses details of domestic violence

More than 160 animals of domestic violence victims have been cared for by Pet Refuge in its first year, and as demand increases the centre is planning further sites so more pets and their owners can live in safety.

It’s only been a year since New Zealand’s first pet refuge opened, but plans are already under way for another centre to meet increasing demand.

Pet Refuge – the brainchild of KidsCan founder Julie Chapman – opened a year ago, taking in pets of domestic violence victims. So far 165 animals have moved into the centre, and just over 100 have been reunited with their owners or moved into other forever homes, when being reunited wasn’t an option.

There have been dogs, cats, horses, rabbits and birds. They come from homes where violence is the norm, where their owners have tried to leave but returned because they couldn’t bear leaving their pets or didn’t leave out of fear of what would happen to them.

Modelled on the New South Wales RSPCA domestic violence programme, Pet Refuge takes in pets of people who need to escape. Some plan for months, sometimes years to leave, and Pet Refuge forms part of their plan. Others flee to nearby parks with their animals in their arms, and call Pet Refuge desperately pleading for the shelter to help. Sometimes women are lying in a hospital bed with horrific injuries inflicted upon them but refuse treatment until they know their pets are okay.

Pets are family after all, founder and animal lover Julie Chapman says – “and no one wants to leave their family member behind”.

Pet Refuge founder Julie Chapman. Photo / RNZ

Before Pet Refuge opened, there were ad-hoc solutions at various rescue centres, but nothing long-term, Chapman says.

“Mostly there was no solution. People would stay. Pets would die.”

Chapman always knew a pet refuge was needed, but she didn’t expect demand to be so high.

“We know that 23 per cent of women who responded to the Women’s Refuge survey about pet abuse and family violence had a pet killed and 53 per cent definitely delayed leaving,” Chapman said.

“We have literally had clients that have waited years to leave and have said that the only reason they left is that we provided somewhere for their pet to go.”

That was the case for Hazel*, who tried to leave her abusive ex-partner 10 times.
Sometimes she’d flee with her animals, sometimes not, but she’d always return because of them.

“But things got worse, and I knew I had to leave for me and my baby,” Hazel said.

“I didn’t want her seeing me cry and having regular breakdowns. I wanted to bring her up in a home that was happy. And I could see the yelling was affecting the dog too. He’d get very scared and just want to cuddle up to me.”

Fearing she wouldn’t be able to find a rental which would accept her dog, or that her ex would give the dog away, Hazel kept living with her abusive partner, because there was nowhere else for her animals to go. Until July last year, when Pet Refuge opened.

Her cat and dog were two of the first animals at the shelter, and while her cat has since been rehomed, her dog is still at the centre. Hazel hasn’t seen him the entire time – owners aren’t allowed to know where the shelter is. But the centre sends her regular updates with photos and information about what her dog has been up to and how he’s going.

Coco, a dog in the care of Pet Refuge, goes for a run in the paddock. Photo / RNZ

Centre manager Nikki Marchant-Ludlow has also written a reference for Hazel, who is struggling to find a rental that will accept her dog. Sadly, she’s faced with the prospect of also rehoming him.

Hazel’s doing well a year after leaving. She has a good job, regained care of her child and is living with family. But she needs a forever home, and to be reunited with her dog, who was a big part of her coping throughout the abuse.

What would life be like now if it wasn’t for the refuge?

“I probably would have surrendered them both to the SPCA, or the most likely scenario is I would have gone back to my relationship, and nothing would have changed at all,” she said.

Jemima* would have stayed too. Living at a family member’s home, Jemima would often shut herself, her baby and two cats in her room to stay safe.

He would scream at her child for playing with his toys, demand to know her every movement and walked in on her in the shower multiple times, making sexual comments.

“It just got unbearable. I wasn’t eating, I wasn’t sleeping, I was barely showering, it just got to a really bad point where I ended up getting Women’s Refuge involved,” Jemima said.
She left for the weekend but returned because of her cats.

“He made comments that if I left and the cats were still there, he would kill them and feed them to the dogs. Without Pet Refuge I wouldn’t have left.”

Jemima finally left just before Auckland went into lockdown in August last year, and managed with the help of friends, Women’s Refuge and police, to take her cats with her. They stayed at the Pet Refuge for a month before they were reunited.

Chapman in the refuge’s cat area. Photo / RNZ

Animals typically only stay a few weeks, but some, like Hazel’s dog, have been there for almost a year.

Chapman said many arrived scared and shut down – they had been kicked and hit, and some had experienced horrific abuse.

“It’s amazed me just how sadistic the level of violence can be towards the pet and the whole reason for that is to control their partner,” she said.

Most need veterinary appointments, and 20 per cent need specialist care – sometimes they haven’t been to a vet in years, and some have had historic injuries that have never been treated.

The shelter is based in Auckland but takes animals in from throughout the country. It has a network of safe farms to care for horses, and other centres to care for the animals before they can be transported. It is set up to keep them long-term if needed.

“These are not abandoned pets,” Chapman said.

“These are much-loved pets whose owners want them back and have literally laid their lives on the line and stayed in a violent situation because they care so much for them.”

Marchant-Ludlow tells the pets’ humans to think of it as if the pets are going on a holiday.

While at the shelter they receive all the necessary care they need, including a good diet and healthcare, but they also receive therapy, have playdates with other animals, time in the paddock and sometimes go out shopping with shelter staff.

Care is tailored – they once had a parrot with a penchant for parrot reggae, which centre staff would play over the speaker.

Gizzy the Parrot. Photo / RNZ

“Some of the pets we notice absolutely thrive in the environment, and that’s a really good indication things haven’t been so good for them, and I guess it’s the owner feedback when the pets go home and they go ‘wow, you know the dog or the pet is so different, seems so much happier and is looking great, relaxed’.”

Marchant-Ludlow said the shelter was struggling to keep up with demand and had reached capacity in recent times. Demand was sadly increasing – people were tired of Covid and struggling with the rising cost of living – a combination which could make for tense households, she said.

Chapman, who started the shelter using the inheritance she received after her parents died, and with the support of sponsors, plans to open another one in the Auckland region, and hopes to one day expand to the South Island.

Marchant-Ludlow said the need is there.

“Honestly, if we had another one open, we’d have pets in already.”

*Not their real names

Where to get help:

Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.

OUTLine: 0800 688 5463 (6pm-9pm)

Women’s Refuge:(0800 733 843

It’s Not OK 0800 456 450

Shine: 0508 744 633

Victim Support: 0800 842 846

HELP Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655 – push 0 at the menu

The National Network of Family Violence Services NZ has information on specialist family violence agencies.

Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357

Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.

Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202

Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7)

Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 (8am-12am), or email talk@youthline.co.nz

What’s Up: online chat (3pm-10pm) or 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787 helpline (12pm-10pm weekdays, 3pm-11pm weekends)

Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm or text 832 Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English.

Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254

Healthline: 0800 611 116

Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.