Engaging the Community for Good

By Lauren Dorsch, Deputy Director, Bayer Animal Health, U.S.

Those of us who work in the Animal Health industry understand just how powerful the bond between pet owners and their animals can be. A happy wag of the tail or a contented purr communicates an immense source of love and well-being not only for the pet, but for their owner too. Over time, our pets’ unconditional love, warm snuggles and reliable companionship become an uplifting and comforting part of our life, something few of us ‘pet people’ would want to live without. Yet, the loss of a pet’s companionship remains a very real possibility for those dealing with homelessness and/or domestic violence.

Difficult Choice

Too often, individuals seeking protection and shelter must make a very difficult choice if a shelter is not equipped to handle animals — save their own life or save their pet. Because pets are a source of companionship and are a buffer against isolation from friends and family, many choose to remain in a life threatening environment rather than lose their pet(s). Before becoming actively in engaged with domestic violence shelters, I was shocked to learn about 50 percent of women in a domestic violence situation choose to remain if they don’t have a safe place for their pet when they leave.

A Growing and Unmet Need

When I first considered the possible long-term impact of this choice, I couldn’t help but wonder how this could be true and if there was an alternative. Thankfully, I’ve seen first-hand there is a better way. Throughout my time with Bayer, I’ve had the opportunity to lead the charge on many rewarding initiatives designed to offer critical co-sheltering options to individuals and families in need, including our most recent Grants Fur Families program, where Bayer gave $130,000 to domestic violence shelters across the country aiming to house pets. These co-sheltering grants offer a restorative space for survivors of domestic violence to escape danger and heal with their pets.

Involving the Community

Last month in Kansas City, we began sharing this important co-sheltering message with our local community at the Sheltering the Whole Family Conference. The one-day free event, sponsored by Bayer Animal Health, brought together community members from throughout Kansas and Missouri to challenge the status quo and discuss how the funding and construction of more co-shelters benefits the community. The conference united advocates from domestic violence and homeless shelters, social service agencies, universities and metro library systems in their desire to build a stronger community focused on saving lives.

Breaking the Cycle

Conference attendees also learned about the cycle of violence between humans and animals. If an animal is being hurt, there’s a human in pain. If a human is in pain, an animal is being hurt. As I sat in the conference, I was humbled by the dedication of the attendees who not only keep individuals and their families, pets safe but who do it with dignity, respect and empathy.

By bringing together a variety of different community members to talk about these important issues, we were able to help cultivate conversation that meets more than the immediate need. With time, it can also become a method for healing with the potential to benefit the community at large, making the Kansas City area stronger together. For this reason, I want to stress the importance of working together to help other communities build and fund their own co-shelters throughout the U.S.

Stronger through United Goals

I admit, being involved with an initiative that has so many moving parts and is impacting lives, is sometimes overwhelming, but I am hopeful because I am part of a larger team of advocates spanning the for-profit sector as well as nonprofit organizations and elected officials. I believe that the more information shared, the more we learn making us more informed to make choices that benefit those in need. This is an important step toward keeping families together, including their pets. I am proud to be a part of a company that supports life-saving initiatives like this.