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TextPolice Department News Release
Fairfax County Police Department
Public Information Office
4100 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Va. 22030
703-246-2253. TTY 703-204-2264. Fax 703-246-4253
FCPD-PIO@fairfaxcounty.gov
www.fairfaxcounty.gov
Press
Release/SafeHaven101707/mlh
October 18, 2007
Safe Haven Program Created for Pet Victims of
Domestic Violence
Animal Shelter Works with Victim Services to Offer Temporary Shelter for At-risk Pets
The Fairfax County Animal Shelter is working with the Victim Services Section of the Police Department to formalize a Safe Haven program for pets in at-risk homes where domestic violence occurs.
For domestic violence victims, the issue of what to do with a pet in the home may prevent a person from leaving an unsafe situation. Many shelters that assist domestic violence victims help people, but are unable to provide a place for pets. The Safe Haven program is designed to provide temporary shelter for pets at no cost to the family. Meanwhile, Victim Services works with the family to find an alternative, long-term residence for family members and the pet.
“We want to ensure that both people and pets in homes where there is domestic violence get the help they need,” says Shelter Director Dr. Karen P. Diviney, PhD. “Our goal is to reunite the pet with its family once the family members are safe and out of harm’s way.”
“The Victim Service Section strives to ensure that victims of crime are afforded safety, emergency care and access to support services, which will now thankfully include the added resource of temporary housing and care for pets when needed,” says Carroll Ann Ellis, director of the Victim Services Section for the Fairfax County Police Department.
Learn more about the Safe Haven program at the Fairfax County Police Department’s K-9 Krawl 5K on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007. The walk begins from Parking Lot C of the Fairfax County Government Center. The K-9 Krawl 5K is being held as part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
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