How the Safe Beds for Pets helps animals

STOPPING perpetrators of domestic violence from using family pets to lure victims back home or prevent them from leaving is the aim of the Safe Beds for Pets program.

Pets caught up in the turmoil of domestic violence can be harmed physically but psychological damage is even more prevalent.

PETS are often the silent victims of domestic violence, according to RSPCA NSW’s Sandra Ma.

Ma spearheads the Safe Beds for Pets program set up by the RSPCA in 2012 to help stop perpetrators of domestic violence from using family pets to lure victims back home or prevent them from leaving.

Ma says pets caught up in the turmoil of domestic violence can be harmed physically but psychological damage is even more prevalent.

“We’ve had dogs come in to our care with cigarette burns and broken limbs but the majority of scars are the ones you cannot see,” she says.

“Being very frightened of men is a common response, one particular dog was really reactive to anyone in a high-vis vest. She would back away and growl. She would become very anxious and scared.”

Perpetrators of domestic violence use pets to prevent victims from leaving.

These furry victims are treated by the RSPCA’s behaviour rehabilitation team and male staff are on hand to show them not all men are bad, Ma says.

She says for many Safe Beds clients their pets are like children and they don’t want to leave the house without them.

RSPCA NSW Safe Beds team leader Sandra Ma.

This was the case for one former Safe Beds client who returned to her Sydney home two days after fleeing a violent partner with police to retrieve some belongings. The first thing she grabbed was the cat.

“It is not until a crisis situation that you realise how much the kids hold the pets as part of the family,” the former client, whose voice features on the RSPCA NSW Safe Beds For Pets video, says.

Her cat, Pumpkin, was in the care of the RSPCA for three months. When she secured a rental she called the RSPCA to say they were coming to pick up Pumpkin.

“It was fantastic, the kids were crying, I was crying,” she says.

Ma says the family pet is often what gets many, particularly children, through a really tough time.

“When mum and dad are screaming and fighting and everything is really scary a pet can be something to cuddle up to, a form of emotional support,” she says.

She says the program provided peace of mind for families in crisis that their pet was safe and would be returning to them soon.

“Victims of domestic violence are often concerned about their pet’s welfare,” Ma says.

“Safe Beds for Pets means that pets have a safe place to go while the victims are staying with family, friends or temporary accommodation that cannot accommodate pets.

“It is reassuring to know that this important member of the family is not going to be taken away from them.”

MORE INFO

For more details visit rspcansw.org.au or call 9782 4408