Women's shelter has safe place for pets

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JOHN M. GALLOWAY/Special to the State Journal

Place for pooches: Executive Director Deborah Felder-Smith is shown last week in the new dog kennel at the LACASA shelter in Howell Township. The shelter now has the facilities to allow victims of domestic and sexual abuse to bring their pets with them when they seek help.

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About LACASA


LACASA is a nonprofit agency established in Livingston County in 1981 to end domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. The organization began as the Livingston Area Council Against Spousal Abuse but formally has changed its name to LACASA.

By Linda Theil
Special to the State Journal


HOWELL TWP. - One in five women delay leaving an abusive home because they are afraid their pets will be harmed, said Leigh Ann Knope, the community coordinator for Livingston County's only shelter for victims of domestic violence.

"We know many victims will not leave their homes if they have to leave their beloved pets," said Knope of LACASA, a nonprofit organization that aids victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

Beginning Friday, those women and their children will have a new resource. The LACASA women's shelter will open two on-site kennels for the pets of women seeking safety from domestic abuse and sexual assault. It will be the first such shelter for people and animals in the state.

"We know there is a strong correlation between animal abuse and family violence," said Debbie Felder-Smith, executive director of LACASA. "People would bring their cats with them, or they would not come because the perpetrator threatened to kill the family pet. We knew that if we could build a kennel into our new facility, that would break down another barrier for battered women and children seeking the safety they need."

Knope worked to organize the pet facility at LACASA with the Livingston County Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention Council's Animal Cruelty Task Force and Ann Burns, director of the county Department of Animal Control.

Burns said the LACASA kennel was the first goal tackled by the seven-person task force because of known links between domestic violence and animal abuse. Future goals of the task force include:


Development of a community-based education and public awareness campaign on animal abuse.


Writing a policy for reporting animal abuse.


Building a collaboration between public and private animal caregivers such as groomers, veterinarians, police agencies and other rescue groups.


Creating a community-based program for the rescue of large animals in conjunction with a countywide emergency management program to be used in the event of fire, flood or other disasters.

"It's a huge undertaking," Burns said. "That's why we're doing one thing at a time. Now that the kennel at LACASA is complete, we can go on to other goals."

The LACASA kennel had been planned since the task force was created three years ago. A kennel was included in the plans for LACASA's $2.8 million, 20,000-square-foot facility built in Howell Township in 2001 and opened in the summer of 2002.

In addition to a 20-bed emergency shelter, the building houses a children's center and space for children's programs, nonresident counseling services, and prevention and education programs.

The upstairs kennel for dogs holds four large cages, cabinets for equipment and supplies, and a sink. The downstairs kennel for cats and other small animals has three large and six smaller cages as well as cabinets and a sink. Both kennels have space for owners to visit and play with their pets.

Eight county veterinarians have agreed to donate their time to care for animals at LACASA.

Lee Ann Berglund-Fosdick, owner of Lee Ann's Mobile Vet Service, is one of the vets who will be on call. The veterinarians will do an initial assessment and care for each pet as it arrives at the shelter.

Berglund-Fosdick said the assessment will include behavior testing to see if they get along with other animals and are safe around people. A biting dog will not be allowed to stay at the kennel.

The cost of the program will come from LACASA's $1.1 million yearly budget.

"Because the program is new and developing, the cost is unknown," Knope said.

Linda Theil is a Detroit News Metro Detroit free-lance writer