Eastern Arizona Courier

Mt. Graham Safe House plans to care for pets

http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2009/05/31/news/doc4a20721bb748a204116927.txt#blogcomments

By Diane Saunders
Staff Writer

Women who check into the Mt. Graham Safe House to seek refuge from domestic violence will soon be able to bring their pets with them.

The Mt. Graham Safe House, a domestic violence shelter for women and their children, recently received a $2,500 one-time startup grant from the American Humane Association’s Pets and Women’s Shelters program, known as PAWS. The purpose of the program is to provide temporary shelter for the pets of domestic violence victims.

The Mt. Graham Safe House is a 20-bed women’s shelter that serves homeless women in addition to victims of domestic violence.

The American Humane Association began the PAWS program after statistics showed domestic violence victims often stay with their abusers because they fear their pets will be harmed or killed by their abusers if they leave.

Heather Ballard, program coordinator at the Mt. Graham Safe House, said Tuesday that the grant money will be used to build an outdoor kennel for dogs and cats. Those who brought their pets to the shelter will be responsible for their daily care. The animals will not reside inside the shelter.

Work on the kennel will begin once it gains approval from the city of Safford. Ballard said inmates from the Arizona State Prison-Safford will build the kennel.

“We’re hoping to have it implemented before the summer is over,” Ballard said.

The shelter is accepting donations from the community to maintain the PAWS program. Donations can include money or pet-related items, such as cat and dog food, toys, leashes, collars, cat litter and litter boxes and other animal necessities.

The American Humane Association, founded in 1877, is the only national organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals. The association is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Denver. It is not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States and is not a “parent organization” of local humane societies, according to the American Humane Web site.

For more information about the Mt. Graham Safe House pets project call 348-9104.