Transporting *Echo to safety

*Echo arrived in Pet Refuge care at night after his devoted human-mum, *Melanie, was admitted to hospital after a violent outbreak in their family home.

A paramedic who had taken Melanie to the hospital alerted the nurses of Melanie's concerns for her beloved cat, Echo, being left in the home with the abuser who was suspected to be on drugs. So, the nurses called the Pet Refuge helpline, and immediate action was taken to get Echo out.

Echo was an eight-hour drive from our main shelter, but with our transport partners located nationwide, he was transported to a nearby partner boarding facility within a few hours of the nurse's call for help, allowing his human-mum to focus on her recovery and their safe future together.

The Pet Refuge national transport service is available to anyone across Aotearoa. Echo is one of 96 pets we have helped from Canterbury, our second largest region of need, followed by Waikato with 76 pets, Northland with 57 pets, and the most prominent area for help being Auckland with 273 pets.

Our national transport service is more than just transporting pets to safety, it is the peace of mind and hope families need to start their own recovery journey from abuse so they can live a safe life free from violence.