Pets in Shelters

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Happy Friday to all our friends, the week is over and the weekend is beginning phew.


As most of you know I am doing at the moment a workshop to become a Domestic Violence Advocate and as this month is Domestic Violence Awareness month I want to discuss having a pet in a shelter.


This is a subject that I have seen discussed on many groups on Facebook, and how important it is for a survivor to have her pet with her in the shelter so am going to share my story here.


I was fortunate to be able to take Baby into the shelter with me towards the end of my stay, before I moved over to another shelter and then transitional housing.


It was fantastic having her with me again and I was really blessed but people also need to understand Shelter policies also so I do understand why shelters say no. They are not being selfish but in a way practical and this is why :


01.There are children in shelters who are going through trauma and might be afraid of pets 

02. Allergies from pets

03.  The shelter staff are overloaded already so if you are running around sorting out your life you are adding another burden to the staff as your pet is in your room.

04. Shelters have curfews so if your pet needs to go potty at night you cannot take him/her out.

05. Not all shelters can you give you a single room so you might be sharing with someone who does not like pets.


When I was in the shelter with Baby I took her out just before the curfew started, I had my own room which made it easier but her food and water was in my room, she was not allowed in the public areas because of the reasons I listed above, when we did go out she was on leash and was on leash when we got back till we got to my room.


This is food for thought and that is why in so many ways I feel there should be some kind of program for the pets to ease it for everyone and I do know that some shelters are slowly opening their doors to pets.


Would love to hear your input on this.


Last Friday Layla and I with friends went for a picnic in Golden Gate Park. It was a beautiful evening, relaxing, good food and lots of laughs. It was just what we needed and a beautiful start to a weekend.

What I did for Layla’s food was instead of taking her home made food I took with me Freeze Dried Kibbles which she thinks are treats from Raw Paws Pet Food – she loves them. The flavor I had was Beef and then I had with me as a treat their Freeze Dried Minnows which she cannot get enough of.

You can see their awesome products on their website plus you have a coupon for shopping : Layla15 – Happy Shopping

https://www.rawpawspetfood.com/


This weekend our plans are to go to the Shih Tzu Meetup which I am really looking forward to as it is a different park and I love that park as it is so big you can do social distancing.


Have a wonderful weekend everyone, be safe

With a woof and love from Layla

18 Replies to “Pets in Shelters”

  1. Before we moved out of the city, I was reading that there was a shelter for people that had set up a kennel area for pets. The kennel area had it’s own staff so pets were taken care of, and of course the pets’ owners were allowed to visit and care for them as well. While a kennel might not be an ideal living situation long term, I think it could be a good way of keeping people and their pets together during difficult situations, while also getting around some of the problems you mentioned. I hope you and Layla have a great weekend and enjoy the meet up!

    • I have also heard there are shelters that are slowly doing it and it is fantastic as it makes life so much easier for the victim and hopefully more shelters will do in the future. We had a great weekend and enjoyed the meet up, it was good to be out

  2. It is always tricky to try and accommodate conflicting needs. I imagine things get easier with small dogs; the larger the dog the bigger the problem.

    Just recently I was trying to find a place to stay because Cookie will be going to see a specialist who is 7 hours away. There are few pet-friendly places but most have a weight limit of 20 pounds. Not many dogs are that small.

    • Jana the sad thing is that victims stay in Domestic Violence relationships to protect their pets whether cat or dog or mouse as they have no where to go with them. And that is what I am saying needs to be sorted out

  3. First off I want to say good luck in the course you are taking. It’s so wonderful that you are turning your past trauma into something positive.

    I would love to see more programs that allow dogs in the shelters. I understand why most do not, but being able to keep your dog with you is vital in the healing process.

  4. In an ideal world, it would be wonderful if shelters could accommodate both the victims of domestic abuse and their pets. However, it is a complicated situation, as you discussed. I hope more domestic abuse shelters can become pet-friendly!

  5. You are brave and courageous. You are helping others who are also in desperate need of help at a very bad time in their lives and I never tire of hearing about y your own small dog of courage, Baby.

    I can’t imagine being in such a scary place with nowhere to go.

    I am sharing your October posts.

  6. I’m so glad you were able to have Baby with you – I’m sure this made things better for you. I’m a big advocate of shelters that allow pets, particularly for people leaving a domestic violence situation.

  7. It’s a difficult challenge, right? I understand why many shelters are reluctant to allow pets. It really does make sense for many reasons, as you explained. At the same time, however, I love that there are shelters discovering and implementing options to make it work for everyone. I don’t know what the rules are for pets in our local shelters, but I do know that they accept pet food donations for those with pets so I would assume they have found a way to work around it the best way that they can.

    • That is great to hear that they get pet food donations as that is a big help also and am curious to know how many shelters in the US actually accept pets

  8. It hurts my heart to think a beloved family member may be left behind or turned over to a shelter/rescue. You are spreading a vital message that animals are often a forgotten piece of the domestic violence puzzle. Thank you!

  9. It is a difficult situation when you have to leave but can’t bear to leave your pet behind with your abuser. Unfortunately, too many women are in this situation so I would love to see shelters that can accept pets. Thank you for sharing your story and being such an incredible advocate.

    • Thank you Melissa and I agree with you it is a tough situation and something that has to be fixed but thank goodness people are talking about it today so it is a start.
      I cannot be silent when it comes to abuse, whether humans or animals as they need out voices.

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