Pets are family: Tilly’s DV Survivor Story
February 28th, 2024
By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager
Jujube* and Murphy* were a bit of an odd couple, but Tilly* loved her pups all the more for their contrasts. Five-year-old foxhound Jujube towered over her little brother, and Murphy was not just half her height but half her weight and half her age – and one handsome Chiweenie to boot. Together they were the perfect companions for Tilly’s daughter who loved lounging with them on the couch more than anything.
She was heartbroken beyond repair to have to leave them behind when she and her daughter fled the oppressive prison her husband had built around them and their home. He had kicked both Jujube and Murphy in the past and with Tilly no longer under his control, it wasn’t unthinkable that he might neglect or abuse them worse than he had before. He could even abandon them and leave Tilly wondering forever what had happened to her babies.
Tilly wasn’t without a plan though; while the domestic violence shelter didn’t accept pets, her mother-in-law would retrieve the dogs and bring them to Tilly when she and her daughter moved on to transitional housing. She knew Jujube often got depressed and stopped eating when she wasn’t around, and Murphy was sad when Jujube was sad. Nothing about the situation was ideal, but their reunion was in sight. That is until she learned her husband was going to be evicted and the dogs would be homeless in just two days, long before she would be able to exit the shelter. If she left to go get them, would she and her daughter be safe? Were Jujube and Murphy safe now?
Her daughter missed them both so much, and Tilly couldn’t picture a happy life without her odd couple. Fortunately for them, they weren’t the first family their shelter advocate had met whose pets meant the world to them. Her advocate knew that RedRover Relief Safe Escape grants were available to keep families together. As soon as Tilly’s advocate heard that the dogs needed help right away, they sat down with her to apply for a grant. Not even 24 hours later, Tilly got the lifesaving help she needed to keep Jujube and Murphy safe without putting herself or her daughter at risk.
It took longer than she expected to find a safe new home for them in a tough rental market, but she could relax knowing her Safe Escape grant would be extended as her time in the shelter pressed on past 30 days. Then finally the reunion she’d been waiting for arrived as Jujube and Murphy trotted out of the boarding facility not knowing their mama was waiting for them. She had pinned her hopes for a better future on that joyous reunion and the new beginning it marked. Now all she needed was a new comfy couch for all her babies to lounge on.
Tilly’s advocate, a lifesaver in their own right, later shared this:
“We are so grateful that the Safe Escape program exists. There are honestly so many people who have called and just won’t come into the shelter because it means they will have to be separated from their pets for any length of time. While some people aren’t ready or willing to have their pet boarded even, you make it possible for those who will do so to have a safe environment in which to heal – both pets and people. Thank you again!”
Safe Escape grants do make that possible, but YOU make Safe Escape grants and all of our lifesaving programs possible. Thank you for helping us bring hope to families like Tilly’s when they need it most! Because of you, countless pets like Jujube and Murphy get the new beginnings they deserve.
*Names have been changed to protect privacy
