Helping Canterbury Pets Find Safety
A Safe Place for pets, While Families find safety.
Pet Refuge provides free, confidential, temporary care for pets while their families escape family violence. We help families across Canterbury arrange a safe place for their pets, even though our purpose-built shelter is in the wider Auckland region.
If you need help for your pet, want to learn about our work, or would like to support a charity helping Canterbury families, you can start here.
Care for pets across Canterbury
We support eligible families in Christchurch, Waimakariri, Selwyn, Ashburton, Timaru and surrounding Canterbury communities, including rural areas.
When someone needs to leave an unsafe home, they may have little time to work out where their pet can go. Our caseworkers work with families and the agencies supporting them to arrange suitable transport and temporary care. Pets may travel to our confidential shelter by land or air where appropriate. If travel is not suitable because of medical or welfare needs, we can work with trusted, confidential boarding partners.
Pets already have families who love them. We care for them temporarily while their families find safety, then reunite them when it is safe.
What support is available in Canterbury?
Pets have a secure place to stay while their families find safety. Our team provides nutritious food, a warm bed and daily care throughout their stay.
Pets have a secure place to stay while their families find safety. Our team provides nutritious food, a warm bed and daily care throughout their stay.
Getting a pet to safety can be difficult when a family needs to leave quickly. We coordinate safe travel by land or air where appropriate, taking each pet’s needs into account.
Every pet receives a health check, and those who need further care can receive treatment during their stay. This may include medication, tests or support for an existing condition or injury.
Our team gets to know each pet and provides activities, attention and training suited to their needs. This helps support their wellbeing while they are away from their family.
Families receive weekly updates about their pets while they are in our care. Pets reunite with their families when it is safe to do so.
Pet Refuge helps remove one of the barriers a family may face when leaving violence: concern for their pet. While a pet receives expert care, their family can focus on finding safety and deciding what comes next.
Our service is free for eligible families, made possible by people who choose to support this work.
Asafeplaceforpets.Timeforfamiliestofindsafety.
From Canterbury to care
Our shelter’s confidential location is in the wider Auckland region, but our work begins wherever a family needs help. For pets from Canterbury, our caseworkers coordinate safe transport and care suited to the pet and their circumstances.
The map shows the reach of Pet Refuge’s work across New Zealand. Visitors can select a region to explore the number of pets helped there.
Click on the map to view statistics and stories from different regions.
Escaping violence cannot always be planned, *Bianca didn't have much notice for the day she had to move out and leaving her pet *Skipper behind was not an option.
Escaping violence cannot always be planned, *Bianca didn't have much notice for the day she had to move out and leaving her pet *Skipper behind was not an option.
How Pet Refuge reaches Canterbury
One call starts the conversation
If you’re in Canterbury and worried about leaving your pet behind, our caseworkers can talk through your situation confidentially. You can contact us yourself, or an agency supporting you can get in touch.
Safety tailored to your pet
We arrange safe transport where appropriate and consider each pet’s medical and welfare needs. If travel to our Auckland-region shelter isn’t suitable, we can work with trusted, confidential boarding partners to arrange temporary care.
Support until you’re together again
While your pet is in our safe care, they receive food, love, vet care and enrichment to help them heal. You’ll receive weekly updates, and you and your pet can reunite when it’s safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Pet Refuge supports eligible families throughout Canterbury and across New Zealand, including:
- Christchurch
- Timaru
- Ashburton
- Rangiora
- Rolleston
- Kaiapoi
- Lincoln
- Geraldine
- Akaroa
- and surrounding communities, including rural areas.
Contact our caseworkers on 0800 PET REFUGE or at help@petrefuge.org.nz.
Yes. Our caseworkers coordinate safe transport by land or air where appropriate. They will discuss your circumstances and your pet’s needs before arranging a suitable plan.
No. Our shelter address is confidential. Contact our caseworkers so they can work with you on safe transport and care arrangements.
Our purpose-built shelter is in the wider Auckland region. We support Canterbury families through our caseworkers and transport network, with trusted, confidential boarding partners across New Zealand when a pet cannot travel to our shelter.
If travel is unsuitable because of medical or welfare needs, we can work with trusted, confidential boarding partners to arrange appropriate temporary care.
Yes. We can provide transport-only support when a family has a safe destination for their pet but cannot get them there. Speak with our caseworkers about the arrangements.
Yes. Pet Refuge’s services are 100% free for eligible families, including the transport and temporary care we provide for pets.
If you or one of your clients need help, contact us on 0800 PET REFUGE (0800 738 733 843) or help@petrefuge.org.nz.
Other family violence support in canterbury
Are you in immediate danger?
Call 111 and ask for Police. If you need Police but cannot speak safely, stay on the line and follow the prompts to request emergency assistance.
If you need support for yourself or your family alongside care for your pet, these services work with people in Canterbury:
Aviva — Family and sexual violence support for adults and children in Christchurch and other parts of Canterbury.
24/7 support line: 0800 28 48 26
West Christchurch Women’s Refuge — Crisis response, advocacy and refuge support for women and children experiencing family violence.
Crisis line: 03 379 0575 or 0800 REFUGE (0800 733 843)
Mid-South Island Women’s Refuge & Family Safety Services — Free, confidential family violence support based in Timaru and serving surrounding areas.
24/7 crisis line: 0800 00 77 50
SHE (Support, Heal, Empower) — Christchurch family violence service offering crisis support, advocacy and safe accommodation.
24/7 crisis line: 0800 REFUGE (0800 733 843)
Shakti Christchurch — Specialist family violence support for migrant and refugee women and children in Christchurch and surrounding areas, with support available in multiple languages.
24/7 multilingual crisis line: 0800 SHAKTI (0800 742 584)