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Pet-Friendly Domestic Violence Shelters Help Abuse Victims Stay Safe

St. Louis Public Radio | By Sarah Fenske,
Emily Woodbury
Published October 4, 2019 at 4:19 PM CDT
52% of domestic abuse victims who check into shelters leave their pets with their batterers, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Circe Denyer | Flickr
52% of domestic abuse victims who check into shelters leave their pets with their batterers, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Here’s a sobering statistic from the animal advocacy nonprofit Red Rover: Only 10% of domestic violence shelters accept pets. That means many people fleeing abuse find themselves giving up animals with whom they’ve formed meaningful bonds. And sometimes, those animals themselves are at risk of experiencing abusive behavior. 

Such was the case for Jill and her 10 year old lab-mix named Scarlet. Like Jill, Scarlet is also a domestic violence survivor of the same situation. 

After Jill made the decision to leave her abuser for a home for domestic violence survivors, she could only find one place that allowed dogs – it was in Kansas City and it was always full. So, Jill spent a year couch surfing, staying at friends’ and families’ places, until she found Lydia’s House. Lydia’s House is a St. Louis shelter that houses battered women for up to two years.

“It’s made a big difference for both of us,” said Jill. “To me, Scarlet is not optional. I made a commitment to her, and she and I are a team. So if I was going, she was going.”

The pet-friendly amenities at Lydia’s House are the result of Purina’s Purple Leash Projectand the work of Rescue Rebuild.

On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Sarah Fenske discussed this ongoing effort with Purina president Nina Leigh Kruger and Karen Kirk, the executive director of Lydia’s House. 

Listen to their conversation:

Producer’s note: Due to the nature of this topic and her experience as a domestic abuse survivor, we have made the decision to only use Jill’s first name for this story.

“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan, Alexis Moore and Tonina Saputo. The engineer is Aaron Doerr and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri News
Sarah Fenske
Sarah Fenske joined St. Louis Public Radio as host of St. Louis on the Air in July 2019. Before that, she spent twenty years in newspapers, working as a reporter, columnist and editor in Cleveland, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles and St. Louis. She won the Livingston Award for Young Journalists for her work in Phoenix exposing corruption at the local housing authority. She also won numerous awards for column writing, including multiple first place wins from the Arizona Press Club, the Association of Women in Journalism (the Clarion Awards) and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. From 2015 to July 2019, Sarah was editor in chief of St. Louis' alt-weekly, the Riverfront Times. She and her husband, John, are raising their two young daughters and ill-behaved border terrier in Lafayette Square.
See stories by Sarah Fenske
Emily Woodbury
Emily Woodbury joined the St. Louis on the Air team in July 2019. Prior to that, she worked at Iowa Public Radio as a producer for two daily, statewide talk programs. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science. She got her start in news radio by working at her college radio station as a news director. Emily enjoys playing roller derby, working with dogs, and playing games – both video and tabletop.
See stories by Emily Woodbury