ST. LOUIS — Women in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ region fleeing from domestic violence will soon have a way to take their furry family members with them.
The Women’s Safe House broke ground Thursday on a climate-controlled kennel that can hold up to eight animals, making it the first pet-friendly shelter in ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
It will fill a dire need, said Mary Ann Owens, the shelter’s director: One woman who recently stayed at the safe house kept her dog in her car rather than leave it at home with her abuser, and others opt to stay in abusive situations rather than abandon their pets.
“It really bothered me,†Owens said Thursday. “I kept thinking, ‘There’s something we could do about it.’â€
Owens contacted Purina, which has been working to make shelters more pet-friendly through its “Purple Leash Project.†The company kicked in 60% of the cost to build a standalone kennel to house dogs, cats or other, smaller pets like hamsters, bunnies or guinea pigs. Other donors paid for the rest.
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Kim Beardslee, Purina’s director of community affairs, said that roughly a decade ago, just 4% of domestic violence shelters were pet-friendly. Now, that number is roughly 15%. Purina’s goal is to make a quarter of shelters pet-friendly by 2025, Beardslee said.
“We have a lot more work to do,†she said.
The National Domestic Violence hotline estimates that as many as 65% of victims are unable to escape abusive situations because they are concerned about the fate of their pets.
Megan Green, the president of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Board of Alderman, said at a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday that the kennel was a homeless prevention initiative, too — some women must live on the streets after they leave abusive situations with their pets because they don’t have any place to go.
“This is a very important step in the right direction,†she said.
The kennel is expected to be complete by early 2024.