The thought of leaving a beloved pet in a dangerous home often prevents victims of family harm from fleeing sooner. Photo / Pet Refuge
The thought of leaving a beloved pet in a dangerous home often prevents victims of family harm from fleeing sooner. Photo / Pet Refuge
Victims of family harm could benefit from changes to the Residential Tenancies Bill, which is about halfway through the process of becoming law.
The bill included changes to pet rules such as the introduction of a pet bond and pet consents, which could help people trying to escape abusive domestic relationships but reluctant to do so because of the difficulty finding accommodation with their animals.
The pet bonds would be set at a maximum of two weeks’ rent, which could be charged in addition to the existing bond when a tenant wanted to have a pet; providing that tenants only had a pet or pets with the consent of the landlord, who could only withhold consent on reasonable grounds.
The Government expected most of the changes to come into effect next year.
Most victims couldn’t take their pets with them when seeking refuge and were fearful of what might become of their beloved pets, which were often targeted by perpetrators of domestic violence as a means of inflicting more pain and to gain further control in relationships.
He pointed to a case involving a Northland woman who’d been a repeat family harm victim. She had talked about moving away from the offender for more than a year but struggled to find accommodation that would allow pets.
Pet Refuge’s feline housing facilities are similar to these. There are also a range of exercise and enrichment zones. Photo / Pet Refuge
“We worked with partners to move her into refuge, while her cat went into the Pet Refuge based in Auckland. Temporary accommodation for her dog was also found for several months,” Huys said.
Pet Refuge, which was set up in Auckland three years ago to specifically care for the pets of people trying to escape abusive relationships, had taken in 43 animals belonging to Northlanders since it started, its general manager of marketing and business operations Erin Ellis-Roberts said.
That was 10% of the centre’s entire intake of refugee pets to date despite Northland being only 4% of the population, Ellis-Roberts said.
The centre, in Rodney, was the only one of its kind in New Zealand. Apart from the SPCA, which had a limited capacity, it was the only shelter available for the pets of Northland victims of family harm.
KidsCan founder Julie Chapman opened New Zealand's first Pet Refuge shelter in 2021. It is specifically designed to provide temporary care for animals so their owners can escape an abusive relationship without worrying about what will happen to their beloved pet.The photo shows part of an indoor enrichment area. Photo / NZME
The Pet Refuge and SPCA leaders could each see the potential for the reformed Residential Tenancy Act to help victims of family harm and lessen the high demand on their services.
Ellis-Roberts said Pet Refuge will be “watching closely” the bill’s progress and hoped the new law would help families with pets find safe accommodation sooner.
Founded by Julie Chapman – also the founder and chief executive of Kids Can – Pet Refuge was “specifically set up to provide full, comprehensive, and bespoke care to pets from family violence situations without compromising the safety, security or privacy of the pets, our people, or the families we serve”, Ellis-Roberts said.
“Our charity covers the costs of vet care, enrichment, training, food and shelter with our expert team to ensure pets remain safe and have everything they need to heal while in our care.”
The shelter reached capacity just four months after its opening in July 2021 and had taken in all manner of pets, including finding housing for horses.
“Not wanting to turn families and pets in need away, since then we have been working with trusted external boarding partners to manage the overflow and ensure we can keep saying ‘yes’ when needed,” Ellis-Roberts said.
“The average stay for a pet is four months, however we understand that each family’s circumstance and needs are different, so some pets stay for a much shorter time, while we’ve had others for up to a year.”
Pets of family harm victims often arrived at the refuge traumatised and suffering medical conditions as a result of the living situations they had endured but were much more settled by the time they left.
Whangārei SPCA also helps victims of family harm by temporarily taking in pets but has limited capacity for it. Photo / NZME
Comments on the refuge’s online site were testimony to the difference the service made to victims’ lives.
One woman said, “The dog was used manipulatively on me. He’d [her partner would] get jealous that I had this bond with the dog, because of everything she’d been through with me. I wasn’t allowed to have comfort.
“He knew I couldn’t take her with me if I wanted to leave. Finding a rental with an animal was really hard. I felt like as a decent human being I needed to stay there to protect her, so I was the one who suffered. If I did leave, I just kept going back to the dog, and this really toxic relationship.”
Regnerus-Kell said Whangārei’s SPCA centre – as with most centres across the country – would do its best to accommodate requests for help under the provision an Emergency Boarding Agreement but capacity was tight.
And “sadly, sometimes the person is unable to take their animal back and will surrender [it] to us.”
During 2023, the combined total of animals surrendered by their owners across both the SPCA’s Whangārei and Kerikeri branches was 753 but it was not possible to say how many of those were as a result of family harm situations, Regnerus-Kell said.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, much of which she spent court reporting. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
