A safe spot for pets to escape domestic violence

Vic­tims of domes­tic vio­lence or abu­sive rela­tion­ships in New Brunswick don’t have to con­tem­plate the unthink­able – leav­ing a beloved pet behind. 

For the past 12 years, the New Brunswick SPCA has been a part­ner in the Safe For Pets Too (SFPT) pro­gram, pro­vid­ing tem­po­rary shel­ter and vet­eri­nary care for pets of vic­tims who leave their homes due to domes­tic abuse. 

Ample research shows a link between acts of cru­el­ty to ani­mals and vio­lence toward humans, includ­ing child abuse, domes­tic vio­lence, elder abuse, and oth­er vio­lent behav­ior. The Safe For Pets Too pro­gram is a crit­i­cal ser­vice high­light­ing the bond between peo­ple and their pets. 

Domes­tic vio­lence vic­tims with a pet can ensure the safe­ty of their ani­mals by par­tic­i­pat­ing in this pro­gram. Pets are fos­tered in a safe place for up to 30 days while the own­er search­es for pet-friend­ly hous­ing. The pro­gram is sup­port­ed by the New Brunswick SPCA (NBSP­CA), New Brunswick Vet­eri­nary Med­ical Asso­ci­a­tion (NBV­MA), police, tran­si­tion hous­es, the New Brunswick Depart­ment of Agri­cul­ture, and oth­er orga­ni­za­tions and individuals. 

The NBSP­CA plays a vital role in the STFP pro­gram. Pets are trans­port­ed by our Ani­mal Pro­tec­tion Offi­cers, and their where­abouts are not shared. Par­tic­i­pat­ing vet­eri­nar­i­ans donate an exam­i­na­tion, any vac­ci­na­tions, and par­a­site con­trol need­ed before a pet is placed in their tem­po­rary fos­ter care.

If you are in an abu­sive rela­tion­ship and want to know more about the SFPT pro­gram, please send an email to safeforpetstoo@​gmail.​com

About New Brunswick SPCA

Found­ed in 1881, New Brunswick SPCA (NBSC­PA) is the only province-wide orga­ni­za­tion man­dat­ed to enforce ani­mal pro­tec­tion laws. A ded­i­cat­ed team of 15 Ani­mal Pro­tec­tion Offi­cers is vest­ed with the author­i­ty under the SPCA Act of New Brunswick to inves­ti­gate and, if nec­es­sary, lay charges, seize ani­mals, or rec­om­mend court orders to per­sons sus­pect­ed of abuse and cru­el­ty to animals. 

The NBSP­CA is a reg­is­tered char­i­ty that exists to pro­vide province-wide lead­er­ship in the humane treat­ment of ani­mals. We enforce rel­e­vant leg­is­la­tion, ensure shel­ter for neglect­ed or abused domes­ti­cat­ed ani­mals and agri­cul­tur­al ani­mals, and pro­vide pub­lic edu­ca­tion and advo­ca­cy to empow­er New Brunswick­ers to help ani­mals live long and healthy lives. 

To learn more vis­it nbsp​ca​.ca.