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Health & Fitness

Veterinary Medicine and Domestic Violence Prevention

The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Foundation (CVMF) runs a program called Companions-in-Crisis which is designed to safely secure the pets of at risk domestic violence victims while the pet's owner is relocated to safety. Animals are anonymously transferred via the victim's social service case worker directly into the safe care of a distant animal hospital, and then boarded under an assumed name. Participating hospitals are individually selected for a referral so as to prevent even inadvertent identification of the animal by anyone, especially the abusive spouse.

The pet's owner does not know exactly where the animal is, and has no direct contact with the animal hospital or the animal. They are kept informed only that their animal is safe. All contact about the animal goes through their social service caseworker.

CVMF works closely with the 18 sister agencies affiliated with the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV), across the state. Participating hospital owners are expected to provide cost free boarding, with any essential  veterinary medical expenses covered by CVMF.

Access to the program is granted solely through the 18 CCADV affiliated social service agencies. Victims and the public are cautioned not to attempt to circumvent the security procedures put in place for everyone's safety.

Typical duration of boarding is 1 to 4 weeks, however occasionally an animal will stay as long as 90 days. The program is intended solely for those victims who have a viable plan to reclaim their animals once safely relocated. No value judgements are made about victims, with the goal always being to return animals to their owner as soon as is possible. For referral to the program contact your local domestic violence social service agency or CCADV at www.ccadv.org. The Connecticut Domestic Violence Hotline is 888-774-2900.

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