The SAAV Program
Since 2003, the SAAV Program has placed approximately 36 pets in foster care while 20 domestic abuse survivors were staying in domestic abuse shelters or living with a relative or friend who could not also house the pet. SAAV has provided domestic abuse survivors with safe shelter for their beloved animal companions, including: dogs, cats, turkeys, turtles, birds, horses, iguanas, and even a little hamster named “Faith.”
Domestic abuse survivors wishing to use SAAV make their initial contact with us through Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (“DAIS”). Participation in the program requires the completion of a variety of paperwork, including a pet personality profile, veterinary authorization, and liability release. Once SAAV accepts a pet into the program, the pet is matched up with a temporary, confidential foster home where a SAAV Foster Parent cares for the pet for a period of up to 90 days while the domestic abuse survivor stays in shelter at DAIS or secures other housing. For safety reasons, the identity and location of the SAAV Foster Parent remains confidential at all times, even to the domestic abuse survivor.
Once accepted into SAAV, the pet will receive veterinary care at no cost, including vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery. Before placing a pet into the program, pets receive temperament testing by staff at the Dane County Humane Society (“DCHS”) to ensure as best as possible that pets placed into foster care do not present a danger or risk to their foster parents. Pets that cannot be safely placed into foster care may still be admitted into the program, however, in that event the pets are sheltered elsewhere. SAAV reserves the right and duty to determine, in its sole discretion and in collaboration with DAIS and DCHS, which pets it will and will not accept into the program.
While participating in the program, domestic abuse survivors may receive updates regarding their pets. However, for safety reasons, the victim and her pet will not have any contact with one another during the foster period. Likewise, the victim will not have contact with the SAAV Foster Parent, again, for safety reasons for all concerned. All communications regarding the well-being of the pet occur through staff at DAIS and DCHS.
The domestic abuse survivor must renew her participation in the program every 30 days, for a period of up to 90 days. Thereafter, arrangements will be made to either release the pet back to the survivor, or to place the pet for adoption through DCHS. Due to resources, SAAV cannot keep pets in foster care indefinitely. Therefore, the 90 day foster period is strictly enforced to ensure that program resources are available to a variety of survivors.
The goal of the SAAV program is to ultimately reunite the domestic abuse survivor and her pet at the conclusion of the foster period, but that is not always the end result. Sometimes a survivor chooses to relinquish her pet to DCHS for adoption, while another survivor may, for a variety of complicated reasons, return to living with her abuser. Research shows that on average it takes a domestic abuse survivor seven attempts to leave her abuser before she is able to do so for good. Barriers to leaving an abusive relationship include the emotional trauma of the abuse, lack of resources (both financial and other), and continued fear for her safety, the safety of children, and the safety of pets. The ultimate goal of SAAV is to provide temporary and safe shelter for pets during the most dangerous period in the cycle of abuse – when their owner has found the courage to leave, even if only temporarily.