PAWSS program provides safe haven for pets

When Erin Biebuyck walks into work every day, she has to be ready to answer the phone and screen victims of domestic violence.

Biebuyck, women’s advocate for Middle Way House, a safe haven for women abused by their partners, determines if victims are eligible to seek shelter there.
However, Biebuyck noticed an upsetting pattern in calls.

“I’d gotten a number of calls where people wanted to come into the shelter, but didn’t know what to do with their pets,” she said.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 70 percent of pet-owning women experiencing abuse come into shelters reporting their abuser had threatened to harm their pets as a means of psychological control.

Only 3 percent of shelters similar to Middle Way offer services to house animals.
For many women, this preclusion holds them back from leaving their abusive situation, Biebuyck said.

As a result of these statistics, Biebuyck co-founded Providing Animals and Women with Safe Shelter. The organization aims to house animals of victims in foster homes and is sustained by volunteers.

Biebuyck said many people who abuse their partners also abuse animals.
“We’ve had clients who come into the shelter in the past who have come after their abuser had killed their dog,” she said.

Women generally remain in abusive situations for a number of reasons, including lack of financial resources, their children, religious reasons and the well-being of their animals, Biebuyck said.

“Domestic violence, it’s not just about physical violence, it’s about having control over someone,” she said. “Threatening a pet that somebody really cares about is a good way to manipulate them and to have control over them.”

The statistics are startling, PAWSS Co-Founder Allison Hess said, adding as many as 48 percent of survivors stayed with their abusers because they didn’t know what to do with their animals.

Hess first learned about the link between domestic violence and animal ownership at a conference in Portland, Ore., and has since contacted Biebuyck and worked with a committee of volunteers and Middle Way members since December 2012 to create PAWSS.

The road has been long, but the organization hopes to officially open by October this year thanks to funds raised through Start Some Good, a crowd-funding website.

It raised $18,050 online, which will go toward basic veterinary care for all foster pets and will help support the families housing them, Hess said.

To foster an animal, applicants must be at least 21 years old, have their landlord’s approval, have some background with animals and, if they already have a pet, make sure it’s well socialized and able to accommodate a newcomer.

The fosterers then go through basic training and are educated on the subject of domestic violence to better understand the cause.

“Abusers will sometimes say, ‘If you leave me, I’ll kill the dog.’ That’s a really powerful threat,” Biebuyck said.

Biebuyck said she is happy she can now provide assistance to women who want to keep their pets safe.

“In the past, it used to be really frustrating to get those kinds of calls because we didn’t have a lot of resources to offer,” she said. “But now, I feel good about having an option (for) someone who’s in that situation.”

Follow reporter Anicka Slachta on Twitter  @ajslachta.