Welcome to Pet Refuge

If you are needing help with your pet while you escape domestic violence, please call us on 0800 PET REFUGE or email [email protected].

If you are in immediate danger please call the Police on 111 or the Women’s Refuge Crisis line on 0800 REFUGE.

Pet Refuge provides temporary accommodation for dogs, cats, birds, and smaller animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs. We also assist people who have larger pets such as horses or other farm animals through our network of safe farms across New Zealand.

Our team provides gold standard care for your pet, looking after their physical and mental wellbeing. In our shelter your pet has a warm bed, food, medical treatment (if needed), toys to play with, worm and flea treatments and a full health check on arrival. We provide enrichment for each pet, and therapy for pets displaying anxiety and fear issues, as we know the mental health of pets who have been abused as part of family violence can suffer greatly. 

Pet Refuge provides a national service, transporting pets from around New Zealand to the shelter. We also developed a network of safe farms around the country to care for larger farm animals.

The Pet Refuge service is free thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and individual donors. However, we would welcome any contribution you may wish to make towards the care of your pet.

Yes, we are registered with the NZ Charities Service. Our registration number is CC53408.

Pet Refuge assists any pet affected by family violence to help their owner escape violence sooner regardless of their gender.

We understand it takes time for people who have left family violence to rebuild their lives and find a safe place for themselves and their pets to live. Length of stay in the shelter is dependent on kennel space, behavioural and medical needs of the pet, and the client’s individual circumstances. Our case workers will work closely with clients on a regular basis and continue to assess the needs of the animals whilst they are in our care.

The location of the Pet Refuge shelter is kept confidential protect their safety, yours and that of our shelter workers. Therefore, we do not allow owners to visit their pets at our shelter or at our network of safe farms. Your Pet Refuge case worker will make regular phone calls and can send photographs and videos of your pet so you can see how they are doing.

We work closely with clients to ensure we explore every means possible of reuniting pets with their families. If you make the decision to rehome your pet, we will work with other animal rescue and rehoming organisations to find the best home possible for them. We are partnered with rehoming groups that follow an adoption guarantee policy, ensuring your pet will find a loving new home once transferred to this organisation.

The shelter can house up to 16 dogs, 20 cats, and 30 smaller animals. Every pet has their own warm, clean bed, toys, and blankets to ensure they are comfortable during their stay.

A study in 2016 found that New Zealand had the second highest rate of pet ownership in the world, and in the following year it was found that New Zealand had the highest reporting rate of domestic violence worldwide. These statistics mean that violence involving pets is intrinsically linked to family domestic violence, and this relationship is one that cannot be ignored.

A study by Women’s Refuge found that 53% of surveyed respondents did not leave the abuser when they wanted to out of fear for a pet’s safety. Pet Refuge aims to address some of these issues by being New Zealand’s first shelter dedicated to housing the pets of domestic violence victims.

Pet Refuge recognises that safety is paramount in situations of domestic violence. Therefore, many precautions are taken to try to ensure the safety of not only the pets, but the clients themselves. Animals in our care are de-identified on all records and kept away from any general public. Case workers work closely with clients to learn of, and mitigate, any risks in relation to the pets in our care. 

We have a team of specialist animal care workers who will cater to the individual needs of pets. The recognition of the importance of animal mental health is increasing, and Pet Refuge use many enrichment tools and techniques to ensure that the negative experiences these pets have faced can be worked through as safely as possible.

Please email us any changes at [email protected].

If you are cancelling we will send you a confirmation email once completed.