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As Christmas approaches, the charity that shelters pets from violent homes is facing its toughest year yet – with demand soaring to record levels and families forced to stay in danger because there’s nowhere safe for their animals.

For nearly seven weeks, Pet Refuge had to turn away desperate families, knowing many were staying in dangerous situations until space opened up.

Now, it is calling on Kiwis to donate so they can help as many pets and families as possible over the holiday season – the time of year when domestic violence spikes.

“This has been our toughest year,” said founder Julie Chapman.

“We’ve had so much demand and pets coming in have more trauma, more serious injuries and more complex medical needs than ever before.

“August was our busiest month – we took in 79 pets and, not long after that, we had to start a waitlist because we just couldn’t take any more.

“Unfortunately, that waitlist ran for 49 days because we were just so full.”

While there is no waitlist at the moment, Chapman is “worried” about what might happen over the next two months.

“We know that the holiday – particularly when it gets to New Year – is when things can really spike. That’s when we tend to get really busy,” she said.

“Part of our Christmas appeal is getting people to donate so that we are prepared for those spikes going into the New Year.

“We definitely need the public to help us because of the increase and because of the increased vet treatment needed for the injuries we are seeing.”

Pet Refuge founder Julie Chapman. Photo / Alex Burton

Chapman said both refuge staff and staff from other domestic violence agencies had told her that they were seeing a dramatic increase in the severity of incidents and injuries.

“It’s a pretty bleak picture,” she said.

Chapman said the stories of refuge guests Roe and Bella showed the harsh reality of the situation.

Roe was struck on the head with a piece of wood by her owner’s ex-partner, who routinely used violence against the dog as a way to inflict punishment and gain control.

He refused to allow Roe any vet care, and her injury worsened, the wound becoming swollen, painful and infected.

Roe’s owner knew the only way to get her the care she needed was to escape, and she called Pet Refuge.

Vets found a large piece of wood still lodged in Roe’s head and said if it had been left any longer, the infection could have spread, causing severe neurological damage and becoming life-threatening.

Chapman said Roe was started on antibiotics straight away and underwent surgery to remove the wood and clean the wound.

Charity Pet Refuge provides shelter for pets of those escaping family. Photo / Kathryn Nobbs

Another case saw Bella arrive at the refuge with five 10-day-old puppies after her owner left her violent and drug-affected partner.

Chapman said the woman needed a safe place for Bella and her puppies to stay and receive the care they desperately needed, giving her peace of mind while she found a way to escape.

“Every pet that arrives brings a unique story, and often we only discover their full needs once they’re in care, including Bella and her puppies,’ she said.

“Bella had been through abuse herself, was emaciated and was showing behavioural challenges linked to drug exposure.

“She required ongoing veterinary monitoring, special feeding, reassurance and a tailored enrichment and training plan, to recover both physically and mentally.”

Chapman called on people to donate what they could to the charity.

“These cases are deeply distressing, but they’re also representative of the reality we are seeing every day – more pets arriving with significant trauma and more families having to delay leaving violence because they have nowhere safe for their pets to go.”

Charity Pet Refuge provides shelter for pets of those escaping family violence.

The Christmas appeal starts today – the same day as new rules come into effect for tenants having pets in rental properties.

As of today, landlords can charge a pet bond – which can be up to two weeks’ rent, on top of the usual four weeks’ general bond.

The new bond is intended to cover any pet-related damage deemed more than fair wear and tear.

“We really welcome the legislation coming in because one of the biggest barriers that families face when they are leaving violence is finding a place that will accept their pets,” Chapman said.

“We know that so many people will delay leaving because of that. At the moment, when pets come to us, they are staying longer because of that too. And because it takes so long for families to get a rental, this means we’re not able to help other people who might be needing us.”

Chapman said the majority of pets that came to the refuge were reunited with their owners.

“But it can take months for a survivor of violence to be able to secure a place to live that accommodates their pets,” she said.

“We really hope that in particular, for our clients, more landlords will decide to give families that have cats and dogs in particular a chance, knowing there’s a bit of a safety net there.”

She said the new rules showed that there was “growing recognition that pets are family”.

“Especially, for survivors of family violence,” she said.

“Their pets are their source of comfort, and in some cases, their protectors, and it’s heartbreaking to go through such a horrific situation and then think about not having your pet with you.

“We’ve got high hopes for this new rule; we just hope it will make a difference.”

Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 20 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz