Noah's Animal House: A Las Vegas pet shelter with a difference

[Bluebear]

This is one of my latest "pet" charities. What a wonderful service for families - and animals - in need.

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Dear Supporter,

With close to 60% of all American households owning pets; unfortunately what naturally follows is that many of these pets will be among the vulnerable victims of family violence.

In happy & healthy homes:
# 87% consider their pets to be a member of the family
# 79% celebrate their pet’s birthday
# 33% talk to their pets via the answering machine when away from home
# 62% sign letters and cards from themselves & their pets

(Yes – I do fall into EVERY ONE of those percentiles!)

Unfortunately, there are percentages in our brochure for Noah’s Animal House – that are not as
healthy and fun-filled.

If animal abuse is being reported in 85% of homes from which battered women arrive at domestic violence shelters, how common is animal abuse in cases where battered women & children
remain at home?

Until now, Nevada women wanting to leave their abusive situations had to leave behind an important member of the family – their treasured pet. At a time when the unconditional love of a pet was
needed the most –victims were expected to leave behind an important source of security and love.

But no more… Noah’s Animal House will be built at The Shade Tree Shelter in Las Vegas, so that
women & children can turn to the warmth and love of their pet while staying at the shelter.

Noah’s Animal House will provide temporary boarding for the dogs & cats of the clients of The Shade Tree Shelter. In addition, foster parents will be available for special pets that require more living space, such as farm animals. Veterinary services will be on hand at time of arrival and during the animal’s stay. The kennel will be built on the existing land of The Shade Tree, to allow frequent visitation and security for the owners, while allowing distance from the non-pet-owning clients.

It is the perfect solution for a growing need, and it needs your support. I would appreciate your consideration in supporting this important cause.

http://www.noahsanimalhouse.org/about_us.html

[donco6]

1. Cool.

thanks for the link.

[karlrschneider]

2. That is a fine idea.

:kick:

[smokey nj]

3. K&R!

[roguevalley]

4. done. my boys are my babies. what a choice to have to make.

often, the abuser will abuse the pets to make the humans suffer, the bastards.

[Neecy]

5. thank you for posting this...

What a marvelous, compassionate thing. I can imagine the pain many women have abandoning the family pet to an unknown fate when they leave their abuser. Every city should offer something similar - I'd love to help start something like this in my city.

[Bluebear]

7. "I have to go home" . . . heartbreaking.

"My first client came in very apologetic and said, 'I have to go back home.' I tried to tell her
she didn't,... she said, 'no, you don't understand.' She pulled out a picture that her mother
forwarded her that her husband had sent...They were pictures of him chopping off the ears of
her dog with gardening shears.

'I have to go home...If I want to save my dog's life and the lives of the other animals...I have to go
home...' We never heard from her again."

-Wisconsin Domestic Violence Center Safe Haven For Pets - HSUS

http://www.noahsanimalhouse.org/hsus.html

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I would love to see this idea go national.

[Bluebear]

19. .

[Gloria]

6. Way to go, Las Vegas!!!

[Nevernose]

8. Shade Tree Shelter is the only charity in LV doing well financially

Not that providing safety and shelter for battered women isn't a worthy cause -- I've given to them myself on a number of occasions -- but the charity rates per capita for the regular homeless shelters (both human and animal) are lousy. Las Vegas is at the bottom of anyone's list for either charitable giving or services for those less fortunate. Shade tree is growing by leaps and bounds, while other services are struggling, and hopefully that says more about people's feelings towards battered women and not the need for women's shelters).

That having been said, Noah's Ark Animal House does a heck of a job with what they've got. Great people, from what I've observed, and really dedicated.

[Lisa0825]

9. Is it open now? (edit:: nevermind)

The website FAQ says:

Are you open now?
Our goal is to successfully open Noah's Animal House and accept pets in the 1st quarter of 2006

I'd like to send the link around, but I'd like to know first. I can email and ask them, but since you are familiar with them, I thought I'd ask you first.

edited to add: I see on the main page of the site, it says they plan to open in 2007.

[Nevernose]

11. They've been doing other animal adoption stuff for a while

I've talked w/ them before. Good folks, for what it's worth.

[Nevernose]

10. My only negative experience with these guys:

And not the Noah's people, but the Shade Tree Shelter. Their mission statement only applies to women, and in practice applies usually to homeless women, not just battered women. I realize that women make up between 80 and 95% of reported battery cases, depending upon jurisdiction, and that's only the reported ones -- it's a stigma of our society that is as shameful as I can imagine.

However, I have a friend whose wife was thrown in jail when she battered him. He didn't even do anything to defend himself except hold his hands in front of his face. He was probably asking for it, and probably deserved it, but he didn't ask to be hit like that. She drew blood, and I had to disarm her of the kitchen knife before anything REALLY bad happened.

He couldn't make the bills by himself, and they were behind on their rent anyway. He didn't want to call me, he was too embarrassed. She was in jail. I couldn't let him stay with me at any rate because I was already pushing the envelope of legality (single father of a female in a studio apartment).

He had two kids, and a cat. The cat was eventually put to sleep; no one to take him.

He went to the only shelter that accepts men (they take women, too, in a different building). They said, "No kids allowed. You might try Shade Tree across the street. They take kids."

He went across the street, and was told that they only accept WOMEN and kids. I was there to hear the exact quote. "Look dude," the lady said, "If you're not man enough to take care of your kids, then give 'em up to the state. Child Haven's at 601 North Pecos Road."

I realize that the problem with men being battered is far less than that of women being battered. And I admire Shade Tree for giving abused women another impetus to leave, and Noah's for giving them the ability.

But how do we tell ANYONE with children that they must give up those children in order to have a safe place to sleep?

The mission is to "provide safe shelter to homeless and abused women and children in crisis and to offer life-changing services promoting stability, dignity, and self-reliance." And yet "they believe" that:

"That no one should ever have to endure a state of homelessness, existing in fear for
personal safety and without the means to meet even the most basic of human needs - food and shelter.

That every human being, regardless of social status, has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

That all home-less children are victims because they lack choice and mobility

Well, no one believes more strongly than I do that my dog is a member of the family. And yet I still have to wonder why are we building a place for SOME homeless pets and not a place for ALL homeless children?

[EFerrari]

12. I'm so sorry he went through that. In the time I've talked to families

dealing with mental illness, I've run across dads whose wives act out before they're stablized (if they ever manage to get good care, that is). No one seems to know what to do with that. It's like there's a curtain of shame and stigma between these dads and their kids and what they need to survive as a family. So, these dads have no where to go, they are often arrested when they are the victims in fact and so on. It's a real problem.

The whole situation screams "Disband your family and give up on treatment, buddy, it's not going to happen." And meanwhile, the kids can't get what they need.

We have to do better than this. :(

[EFerrari]

13. This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

I know that I got through a really dangerous and difficult time at our house because there was one person there at all times that I could count on and that was my dog.

And later, when whatshisname started doing better, we fostered for a while and I watched him learn some empathy and some regard and some basic communication skills because he needed to deal with the cats. Lol -- pretty efficient, no?

I am SO in, Bluebear.

[The Straight Story]

14. K&R for an excellent find! (nt)

[freeplessinseattle]

15. Fantastic idea!! n/t

[The Straight Story]

16. Kick for the day crowd

And cause god told me to or else he would leave my ass off the next ark!

[Bluebear]

17. thank you :)

[The Straight Story]

18. We don't always have to agree or even like each other to work together

to make things better in life :)

For the record, I like ya - I just won't be tossing a mars bar into your candy bag at halloween ;)

[faithnotgreed]

20. so glad to kick this up

i didnt see this earlier

what a sweet and heartbreaking story (usually i cant even read threads about these topics but i at least try to get them kicked)

[Vidar]

21. Very cool. Thanks for posting.

[REP]

22. What A Great Idea

Not just for alowing women to take their companion animals with them, which is terrific - I can't imagine much worse than wondering if a beloved companion animal is being hurt by an abuser because there's no one to preotect them anymore - but having animal shelter nearby woud be great for the others too. Anyone who has ever been around an animal knows what the studies have shown - they improve healing and well-being, plus they like being petted!

[Raine]

23. VERY nice

THANKS for posting this. :thumbsup: