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| Accommodating women and their companion animals: implementation manual |
After years of working as a Prosecutor in the 1990s and noting how many women stayed with or returned to their abuser to protect their pets from violence, lawyer Allie Phillips, as Vice President of the American Humane Association, launched the programme PAWS (Pets and Women’s Shelters) in 2008, produced in collaboration with the SAF-T (Sheltering Animals & Families Together) organization, directed at shelters for women who are the victims of misogynistic violence. |
This guidelines and procedures manual, which is presented as a possible tool with which to approach sheltering victims of misogynistic violence and their companion animals, is written in English and is based on the reality of the United States, within the framework of a collaboration programme. However, its extensive, detailed content is a good starting point from which to become familiar with all the factors to take into account with respect to sheltering women, children and their companion animals, as well as the different possibilities and solutions to situations that may arise in these cases.
The Manual’s focus, from its underlying rational to all the relevant matters it addresses, establishes the importance of emotional ties between humans and animals, ties that are generally established in the early stages of infancy, and the enormous importance of their role in victims’ well-being and recovery. It also addresses how the need to ensure the animals’ welfare as living, emotional beings that have to be cared for like the rest of the abused family is considered, responding to their need for safety, well-being and interaction.
Throughout the Manual, specific experiences that offer ideas and solutions to problems of different types are put forward: location; emotional well-being of minors, adults and animals; dangerous behaviours; cohabitation with other people welcomed by these resources, etc. And it includes an appendix with guidelines on how to handle different types of animals, and safety tips. |
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The first step is to include questions in all protocols about the existence of animals in the family, and information about the women who access various services, about their situations and needs |
The starting point: information and types of shelter
The first step is to include questions in all protocols about the existence of animals in the family, and information about the women who access various services, about their situations and needs.
According to the circumstances of each case, there are three main types of response, which should be considered throughout the whole possible itinerary, from emergency shelters to mid- and long-term ones:
Option 1. Accommodation in the resident’s room. For small animals that do not need to go outside and are not allergenic, such as fish, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc., also bird and cats if nobody is allergic. For these cases, a solution could be to reserve some rooms at the resource for families with pets.
Option 2: Accommodation in an indoor kennel. This option requires establishment of the times and frequency with which the pets need to leave their cages every day. It greatly reduces potential problems related to noise and allergies, but it is only possible when there is a full building dedicated to shelter.
Option 3: Accommodation in an outdoor kennel. If secure land near the shelter is available.
Partnerships and collaboration
As well as the collaboration and involvement of police and judicial services, legal and healthcare assistance (and in our case also local services), the Manual highlights three that are essential:
1. Arrangement with a local animal protection agency.
2. Arrangement with a veterinary body.
3. Agreement and commitment that only the family and the social services designed for this purpose will interact with the animals, incorporating insurance cover for the shelter, staff, residents and pets.
These allow the following cases to be managed:
- those in which the family has a number of animals higher than that which the shelter resource can offer accommodation, or it is at maximum capacity, in which case it will be determined with the sheltered woman which pets can stay with the animal protection agency or, in cases of provisional shelter, which must stay with her due to reasons of fear or attachment, whether for the animal or the members of the family.
- animals that are too disturbed to live at the refuge and that as such must be given temporary accommodation by the animal protection agency.
- large animals (horses, goats, etc.) or exotic animals, which cannot be accommodated, in which case the protection agency will have to provide other alternative accommodation that ensures their safety and welfare.
- animals that are stressed or become aggressive due to the change in surroundings and/or previous abuse, with which the protection agency can help with their care during the adaptation period, and advise the shelter service’s staff.
In addition to having the necessary veterinary services that include a regular (vaccines, check-ups, etc.) and extraordinary care protocol, the health and hygiene of both people and animals must be ensured. |
Regulations and procedures
Opening up the resource to animals belonging to sheltered women makes it necessary for each centre or service to also produce a protocol providing guidelines, from the formal welcome (if a site can be made available for this), to the right to refuse admission for various reasons, such as preventing overcrowding or other factors that may compromise the health, safety or well-being of other people or animals.
The main matters to take into consideration and regulate are:
- Which types, sizes and quantities of pets can be safely accommodated, and the types of accommodation possible.
- Any animal can be under stress due to having been in a violent home. |
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Opening up the resource to animals belonging to sheltered women makes it necessary for each centre or service to also produce a protocol |
- Whether they stay inside or outside, each woman at the shelter should receive guidelines on what is expected of her in order for her pets to be kept at the refuge.
- Managing situations such as excess noise, allergies, odours or fear of animals.
- Emotional trauma, especially in children due to the harm their pets have suffered.
- The necessary equipment, supplies and insurance, as well as settling and maintenance costs.
- Managing the animal shelter when the woman at the refuge cannot take it with her when she leaves the refuge, for various possible reasons.
- Producing forms for arrangements regarding collaboration, admission, agreements and commitments to sheltered people, evaluation and satisfaction, supplies.
Finally, the legal matters included in the Manual include, as well as confidentiality of the location and identity, and protection orders for women and their children and protection orders for pets, the matters of custody and property, liability insurance and, if necessary, veterinary licences and special permits. For the latter, the assessment and management of a veterinarian is of great help. |
Access to “Sheltering Animals and families Together™. Start-Up Manual”
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