Donated Kennel Area Nears Completion at Northeast Georgia Council on Domestic Violence

Work to complete kennels for the pets of women seeking refuge with the Northeast Georgia Council on Domestic Violence in Hartwell is almost complete.

As part of their Purple Leash Project Nina Leigh Krueger, president of Nestlé Purina presented a $20,000 check to Katherine Reusing, executive director of the Northeast Georgia Council on Domestic Violence to build kennels for the pets of domestic violence victims.

Krueger noted often times victims of domestic violence won’t leave and get help if they can’t take their pets.

Reusing said the Northeast Georgia Council on Domestic Violence has allowed pets but they haven’t been able to take in more than one or two.

“We put an annex in about four and half years ago so we could take adult male victims and people with pets, but there’s only two bedrooms in there so we were limited in how many pets we could take,” she said.

Work began last week on the project with volunteers from RedRover.org, Purina, and GreaterGood.org’s RescueRebuild division.

GreaterGood.org Director Bryna Donnelly says volunteers are renovating an old garage on the property and turning it into a temporary home for dogs and cats so they can stay with their owners.

“We have two different pet projects that we’re working on. One is the kennel area so people in the main part of the shelter who can’t bring in animals can have them here. We’re also putting in a living room area so they can come and watch TV and spend quality time with their pet,” Donnelly explained. “The kennels are also indoor/outdoor and there’s a play yard in the back so they can have a place to go out and play. And in the annex we will have an area for cats so they can have a place to play too.”

The team is building four indoor/outdoor kennel runs as well as the living room area for pet owners.

Katie Campbell is the outreach manager for RedRover.org.

Campbell said providing a safe place for both pets and their owners is what their mission is all about.

RedRover is working with Purina’s Purple Leash project to help with the project.

“We are supporting this project through our Purple Leash Project with Purina and we provided a grant for that. Then we also send a team of volunteers to help out the folks at Greater Good’s Rescue Rebuild program,” she said.

About 20 volunteers have come from all over the country to work on the kennel project, including employees from the Hartwell Purina plant.

Andrew Mower is the Supply Chain Manager at the Hartwell Purina Plant.  He, along with two of his teammates, have been working all week on the kennels.

“We love being back in the community and we have a sense of pride knowing that we’re  able to provide the animals we work to feed every day have a place so they can stay with the people who love them,” he said.

Donnelly said the project should be completed by this weekend.