WRITTEN BY: Anna Holton-Dean
It’s a widely known fact that many victims of domestic violence delay leaving their abusers for fear of what may happen to their pets. Often, the abuser threatens
to harm or kill the animal as a manipulative bargaining chip. Without the means to take care of themselves, much less an animal, many will stay in the abusive environment.
Further compounding the problem, most domestic violence shelters do not have accommodations for pets and cannot provide services to help find pet housing. This acts as a barrier for many to obtain the help
they need, and it’s exactly why the Network for Pets of Domestic Violence Victims (NPDVV) was created.
FROM CLASS PROJECT TO NATIONAL NETWORK
A simple but life-altering website created by Jonna Whetsel, a veterinary student at Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, NPDVV is a starting point for a network of domestic violence shelters, animal shelters, veterinarians and animal foster organizations.
By providing their information, domestic violence shelters can be put in touch with animal care facilities in their locality that are willing to assist them in providing pet housing or implementing pet housing programs.
With this resource in place, it’s now much easier for organizations to facilitate placement of a pet when the need arises. The concept for NPDVV was born out of Whetsel’s final project for her master’s program in veterinary forensics through the University of Florida.
Veterinary forensics blended two important aspects of Whetsel’s life.
“It’s a relatively new program so most people have never heard of it,” she says. “I graduated with my master’s in May of 2018 and reached out regarding degree statistics later that year. I was told that there were only 136 degreeholders as of September 2018. It was a perfect fit for me. It combined two things that were huge parts of my life–law enforcement and animals. I grew up in a law enforcement family, and I was working for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation at the time I found the degree program.”
Whetsel also holds two bachelor’s degrees— one in psychology and one in biology.
As the OSU website explains about the star veterinary student, Whetsel’s final master’s project was about animal cruelty in interpersonal violence. The class was tasked with creating a training presentation with some aspect of what the students had been learning.
“I chose domestic violence and animal care resources,” said Whetsel. “My training
presentation was about how to help domestic violence shelters as an animal care person, an animal shelter or veterinarian. When I was making that presentation, I thought why don’t I just do something instead of teaching about it. So, I decided to get online, and I built a website. I worked on it for about two years. It officially launched July 29, 2019.”
In less than six months after NPDVV’s website launch date, Whetsel had already received submissions and requests from 18 states.
“The response continues to be outstanding,” Whetsel said. “People really want to help. I typically receive three to five new volunteer submissions each week. I hope that number grows as more people learn about the organization. I plan on doing a mailing [soon] in order to make more shelters aware of this new resource available to them. In the past two months, the website has received nearly 2,000 visits from people in over a dozen countries.”
Since the website/program is still in its infancy, Whetsel hasn’t yet heard reports of successful placements, but several individuals have reached out to her to share their personal stories of escape and how they wish a program like NPDVV would have been around when they were in need.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
There are multiple ways to help serve victims and their pets, and NPDVV offers up several suggestions no matter your station in life.
Consider fostering a pet in your own home. Add yourself to the foster home list at www. npdvv.org/individual-willing-to-foster-a-pet. If a domestic violence shelter in your area requests help, your contact information will be provided to them.
Volunteer at a local shelter.
“Whether at a domestic violence shelter or at an animal care organization, volunteers make program growth possible!”
Donate to an animal shelter. “Many shelters are limited based on funding. If you do not have the time or space to volunteer or foster, please consider donating to a local shelter so that they can continue their good work for the community. With additional funding, it may be possible for shelters to develop their own programs to assist domestic violence victims with pets.”
Educate and spread awareness. “I think education is a very important function of NPDVV. Not everyone is in a position to volunteer, but everyone can learn about the issue,” said Whetsel. “The difficulties faced by individuals trying to leave dangerous situations with their beloved pets is not something people often stop to consider. Hopefully, the site can shine a light on this issue.”
Whetsel is certainly doing her part to spread awareness, and she considers it an honor to do so.
“It is humbling to be able to play even a small part in the journey of these survivors,” she said. “It is incredibly fulfilling knowing that something I put out into the world is working for the greater good and helping people and their pets to safety.”
For more information, visit the Network for Pets of Domestic Violence Victims at www. NPDVV.org or email [email protected].
