Facility offers short-term pet housing

Jenny Jones/Summer Reporter AHHH SAFE: Janice Sojka, an associate professor of veterinary medicine, holds a cat, which is currently part of the PetSafe program.

By Jenny Jones
Summer Reporter

When Rita Smeyak's client at the YWCA fled an abusive relationship she could not bare to leave behind her pet tarantula, Webby. With nowhere in the women's shelter to keep the gigantic spider, it was Smeyak's job to take him to the proper boarding facility.

Janice Sojka, an associate professor of veterinary medicine and owner of multiple animals, understands how attached people can become to their pets. That is why she started the Purdue PetSafe program in 1993.

Sojka, who got the idea for the program from a magazine article, thought a similar program was needed in Tippecanoe County. "We saw a need," she said.

PetSafe allows people who are experiencing a crisis to board their pets and keep them safe free of charge, up to three weeks. If an animal needs to be in the shelter for more than three weeks, Sojka said, "we'll try and find foster care for them."

Housing approximately 20 pets a year, the shelter is open to almost any kind of animal. Although it usually boards dogs and cats, the shelter has also housed ferrets, frogs and one tarantula. "If they can bring the animals to the shelter, we'll take them," Sojka said.

The program generally attracts women who are fleeing from an abusive relationship and don't want to leave their pets behind,

Sojka said. "If someone is abusing their kids or their wife, they're often going to be kicking their dog too."

Studies show that women are less likely to enter a shelter without a safe place for their pets; this way, animals can stay somewhere safe, while their owners find a safe place for themselves, Sojka said.

Smeyak said, "We're very fortunate that we have Purdue University in our community to provide that service for us; that's one less problem (the women) have to worry about."

PetSafe is not only open to women from abusive relationships, however, it has also housed animals from families whose houses have burned down. They needed somewhere to board their pets until they found a new place to live.

Along with helping the community, Sojka said she also wants veterinary students to learn how they can help out the community through the program. "(We're) trying to get the veterinary school into some more community involvement," she said.

In the future Sojka plans to extend the program by making animal visitations to nursing homes and schools.

In addition, Sojka said she hopes to have a more secure funding base for the program, which currently runs on donations. With more funding, Sojka said they could pay technicians and do more out reach work.

 

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