Written by Dr.Sarah Kirk
In 2015, coursework for my online MS in Veterinary Medical Sciences at the University of Florida introduced me to the link between animal abuse and interpersonal violence. As a shelter veterinarian for decades, I had certainly cared for animals that were presented with trauma. In some cases, abuse of the animal was known and prosecuted. Prior to my courses, I would not have thought about who else might be at risk. Now I wonder, is there a child in the home? A partner? An elderly person? I also learned that many people delay leaving their abuser, out of concern for their pet and not wanting to leave her/him behind.
When I “retired” and moved to Ontario in late 2022, I had a deep desire to give back to my new country. It seemed the perfect time to consider how I might be able to support people and their pets who were escaping abuse. I was aware of many options offered to survivors, housing the pet at a local humane society/spca, fostering the pet, housing the pet on-site in a separate area of the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) shelter. These are all options, but wouldn’t it be best for the person and their pet to be co-housed in the shelter, where each could provide comfort to the other? In September of 2024, I read the Annual Report of one of my local GBV shelters which stated their goal to become Pet-Friendly. Immediately I reached out and offered to help in any way, and in August of 2025, my daughter Jill and I saw our first patient.
A lot of work was involved in getting this started, obtaining a mobile facility license, incorporating the practice, and creating a nonprofit corporation (and hopefully down the road, becoming a charity). Our overarching goal with Purple Whiskers Shelter Support is to encourage more GBV shelters to become Pet-Friendly by removing the barriers of public health concerns and cost of veterinary care. We want to keep these brave animal and human survivors together, at a time when they need each other most. We want to give the GBV shelters the opportunity to say, “yes”, when people call, seeking safety from abuse.
This work is so important and so impactful. The bond between these human and animal survivors is palpable and a beautiful thing to witness.
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Speaking of the human-animal bond, there is a terrific conference in Toronto this October 14-16 given by the International Association of Veterinary Social Work (IAVSW). There really is something for everyone involved in veterinary medicine, animal welfare, social work, and research. The agenda may be found here. One of the speakers at the Summit is the professor who introduced me to The Link and started me on this most rewarding path. I’m looking forward to meeting him in person.