‘You can’t leave your four-legged kid behind’: A place for pets of KC abuse victims
Could an Airbnb-type startup for animals keep our furry four-legged friends safe from an abusive partner? Matt Krentz and Andy Bond, co-founders of Kansas City-based BestyBnB, sure hope so.
BestyBnB is a technology firm that places pets of abuse victims with temporary caregivers. Pets are often used as means of control in domestic violence situations, studies have shown. Some animals have died or been injured by an abusive partner. When Krentz and Bond learned that victims sometimes stay in abusive relationships rather than leave their pets behind, the longtime friends and entrepreneurs went to work.
The pair raised more than $2 million in capital to start the company and spent more than a year gathering information from shelters from coast to coast.
“It’s a global issue,” Bond said, adding the two also learned that 70% of pets left behind are harmed or killed by the abuser.
At least seven domestic shelters in the region are already on board. Finding volunteer caregivers and temporary foster homes for animals presents a challenge. Now is the perfect opportunity for the animal loving community “to help pets and people escape a terrible situation,” Krentz said.
Rose Brooks Center was the first domestic violence shelter in the region to board pets. Others have since added space for animals, but the reality is that most shelters are full.
Kim Shaw-Ellis spent 33 years in law enforcement and worked in the domestic violence community. She’s retired now but often saw gaps in services in terms of abuse victims and how to best keep their pets safe.
“I noticed more times than I can count, a victim couldn’t flee because if they leave, the abuser would harm or kill their pets,” Shaw-Ellis, a community-police liaison for Kansas City-based advocacy group Synergy Services, said. “You can’t leave your four-legged kid behind. I knew this was real but I didn’t have the resources to help.”
In violent relationships there is often a link between animal cruelty and abuse. Police officers don’t usually see the animal piece and animal service folks don’t always see the human element, Shaw-Ellis said. “BestyBnB is the link.”
The startup also encourages abuse victims to foster pets themselves. Participants are offered virtual pet foster training as a way to help them get back on their feet once they leave a shelter.
The founders envision a communitywide approach to fostering pets. Under Missouri law, pets are now eligible for protection orders, but there are still many opportunities for people willing to foster pets. Safe spaces such as pop-up kennels to hold pets until they are fostered are needed.
For more information, visit www.bestybnb.com.
