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The calendar might say February, but for two Bay Area organizations dedicated to helping pets, it was Christmas.
Petco Foundation handed out checks this week totaling $155,000, and Purina agreed to donate $500,000 toward a program that helps domestic violence shelters create places for families and their pets.
The awards to Humane Society Silicon Valley and Oakland Animal Services are part of $14 million that the Petco Foundation has committed to giving to animal welfare organizations across the country. In addition to the over-sized checks, the groups also were given giant Valentine cards, WholeHearted treats and toys for the shelter pets, and “BOBS For Dogs From Skechers” shoes for staff.
Humane Society Silicon Valley received $65,000 in a surprise award. The group will use the funds to buy a second van for transporting animals from the shelter’s local and regional partners. Last year, Humane Society took in almost 3,000 animals, about 1,600 more than they did the year before.
The group’s commitment to taking care of more animals and finding homes for them is part of the reason Petco Foundation gave them the reward. The presentation was shown live on Facebook.
The staff and volunteers at Oakland Animal Services also thought they were getting a free “thank you” lunch, but they soon discovered they also were getting $90,000.
Oakland Animal Services, the city’s only “open admissions” shelter, accepts all of Oakland’s lost, abandoned or mistreated animals, including farm animals and native wildlife. The shelter takes in more than 5,700 animals each year, and the nonprofit Friends of Oakland Animal Services works to find homes for all of them — work that won them the Petco grant.
On the other side of pet rescue, Purina is partnering with RedRover, a Sacramento-based organization that helps animals rescued from disasters or neglect, domestic violence victims seeking safety with their pets, and animals with life-threatening illnesses.
Purina joins RedRover’s Safe Haven project to create the Purple Leash Program, which will give grants to domestic violence shelters so they can remodel and modify their shelters to accommodate pets.
Domestic violence shelters are safe havens for those who must escape a dangerous situation, but only about 10 percent of the nation’s shelters have the ability to take both the victim and their pet. Those people must make a difficult choice: endure the abuse for the sake of their pet, or leave the pet behind.
Purina has committed to award more than $500,000 to the project over the next four years. Purple Leash grants will be awarded on a biannual basis, providing funding and resources to transform domestic violence emergency shelters into safe spaces for survivors with pets.
The Purple Leash is a visible symbol of an invisible struggle for domestic violence victims and their pets, purple representing domestic violence awareness and the leash symbolizing the unbreakable bond between pets and their owners.
“We have a responsibility to our family members, friends and neighbors and their pets who may be silently suffering from domestic abuse, to create safe places where they can escape and heal together,” Purina president Nina Leigh Krueger said. “Together with RedRover, we can reshape the way domestic violence victims and their pets are served and strengthen our communities in the process.”
RedRover’s Safe Housing program has awarded almost $600,000 in grants. There still is much work ahead, especially in Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and West Virginia, which have no pet-friendly shelters.
Nicole Forsyth, president and CEO of RedRover, said the organization’s goal is to have pet-friendly shelters in all 50 states, and with Purina’s assistance, they think they can accomplish that by 2020.
Domestic Violence shelters interested in learning more about becoming pet friendly and applying for a RedRover + Purina Purple Leash Project grant can visit RedRover.org/relief/safe-housing-grants.
