Dr. Sharon Grace works with animals all the time; it’s her profession. So a photograph of a gray tabby cat in the clinical professor’s office at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine may not seem notable. However, Cleopatra, the 5-month-old, tiger-striped kitten, is at the heart of Safe Haven for Pets. The program provides short-term shelter and medical care to pets of women and children escaping domestic violence.
Cleopatra had been cruelly abused. Despite Grace’s intense care, the kitten had to eventually be euthanized. The cat’s plight, and the media attention it drew, led the veterinarian to some eye-opening truths about the link between abuse to animals and abuse to humans.
They inspired the MSU-CVM alumna to launch a pet protection program at her Tennessee clinic in 1997. Since returning to Starkville and joining the faculty of her alma mater in 2000, one of Grace’s goals has been to educate others about the life cycle of violence, and to fulfill a dream of establishing a Safe Haven for Pets on a larger scale. In 2009, that dream was fulfilled. Today, Grace and MSU-CVM Assistant Clinical Professor Dr. Christine Bryan oversee the program on the Starkville campus.
“When people think about domestic or child abuse, they don’t automatically think that the abuse extends to pets,” Grace said. In truth, small, powerless creatures are often the first victims, or become the leverage abusers use to lash out.
Dr. Frank Ascione is a professor emeritus at Utah State University. He has studied the psychology of animal abuse for decades. His research shows that 75 to 80 percent of women who enter domestic violence shelters report that their partner has threatened, injured or killed the family pet.
“It raises a red flag, and the question is, how big is the flag and how bright is the red?” Ascione said in a May 17 article at fox13now.com.
Fear for pets
Up to 50 percent of battered women delay leaving their environment out of concern for their pets, according to the American Humane Association. Most domestic violence shelters can’t take in animals due to liability, housing and health issues. It follows that a way to get more battered women and their children into safer circumstances it to provide care for the animals.
“Most of the women in these situations are under financial hardship and don’t have resources to provide alternative safekeeping for their pets while they seek safety,” said Grace.
To date, the Safe Haven for Pets program has taken in 38 animals and provided a total of 1,226 days of shelter to pets of women entering Care Lodge Domestic Violence Shelter in Meridian. At present, the university is limited to taking in animals from Care Lodge’s clients. The average stay of an animal is 32 days, with a range of one day to four months. The program receives no state funding; it is dependent on donations.
While at MSU, the program’s “guests” receive care from third-year veterinary students. Pets get updates on vaccinations. (“Most are very delinquent,” said Grace.), treatment for internal and external parasites, and spay or neuter surgeries when needed.
“There is no cost to the owner for any of these services,” the doctor added.
Veterinarians and students never interact with the animals’ owners, only with shelter staff. They pick up the pets for transport to the university, and return them when the owner is ready.
Building trust
While Grace handles program management, Dr. Christine Bryan — also an MSU-CVM alumna, and one of Grace’s former students — works with students to oversee hands-on medical care. The Huntsville, Alabama, native came on board in 2013.
One of the rewards for Bryan is seeing those animals that may come in apprehensive transformed into happier pets.
“It’s important with these animals to show them love and for us to work with them so that they trust humans again,” Bryan said. “We want to get them healthy and ready to go back to their families.”
Students benefit. Those volunteering with the program gain a significant understanding of the societal problem of domestic abuse and its impact on women, children and pets living in violent homes. Some students have gone on to launch their own programs after graduation, one of the project’s objectives.
And then, there is the bonding itself that occurs, that fundamental connection so often forged between two-legged and four-legged creatures.
“We get really attached to these little guys,” admitted Bryan. “When they leave here, they leave with collars, new sweaters and toys. We want them to be happy and enthusiastic. They’re off to a new life.”
In 1997, little Cleopatra was inducted posthumously into the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association’s Animal Hall of Fame. It was a tribute to her spirit and courage as she fought to live. Her loss raised awareness about cruelty to animals and helped lead to toughened laws in the Volunteer State and in New York.
“Trying to find a way to honor her experience is definitely at the heart of my work,” said Grace, who hopes the program in Starkville can inspire similar ones, so more animals and areas can be served.
How to help
Except for a recent grant from the American Kennel Club Humane Fund, the program relies entirely on support from the public. One-time or monthly gifts can be made to the Safe Haven for Pets Fund, P.O. Box 6100, Mississippi State, MS 39762. Or visit msufoundation.com or cvm.msstate.edu.
To learn more about the program, contact Grace at [email protected] or Bryan at [email protected]. Or call MSU-CVM Clinical Sciences, 662-325-3432.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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