While your cats and dogs may be at home eating Christmas ham and playing with new chew toys, some of the nation’s animals are being kept at New Zealand’s only animal shelter.
Pet Refuge, which was established in 2021, provides temporary housing for animals to go to when their owners need to escape their homes after family violence or abuse.
Some of the animals in the shelter have seen their owners being abused, while others are victims themselves.
“We’ve had some terrible cases of dogs burned with cigarettes and all kinds of things like that,” Julie Chapman, founder of Pet Refuge, told 1News.
“It’s the reality of how domestic animals are used as a means of control as part of family violence.”
Chapman said 55% of women delay leaving abusive situations out of fear for their pets’ lives, and 24% of women have had their pets killed by abusive partners or family members.
Chapman said having a safe haven for her animals “has really changed the lives of a lot of people who have lived with violence for a long time.”
“It’s a road to freedom.”
Today, a Christmas party was held for the animals who stayed at the shelter over the silly season.
The cats at the shelter were treated to a winter wonderland, while the dogs got to experience a gingerbread house.
The animals also have their stockings full of presents ready to be opened – with some assistance, of course.
Since opening Pet Refuge, they have seen over 400 animals pass through their doors and have helped reunite over 380 with their owners.
Chapman said Christmas and New Year’s is usually the shelter’s busiest time, but for now, a Christmas party is underway.
