Our Meeting Today Will Be At The Peppermill, Naples 7Survivors of domestic violence now have the opportunity to keep their pets with them when they leave their abusers. Noah's Animal House is partnering with the Domestic Violence Resource Center so that survivors can have an escape plan that includes their pets.
Founder of Noah's Animal House Staci Alonso says survivors should not have to choose between leaving and leaving a pet behind.
"Pets are that unconditional love you need in good times and imagine them in bad," she says.
The first Noah's Animal House opened in Las Vegas in 2007. Since opening, it has helped more than 1,400 pets stay united with their families and has provided nearly 90,000 nights of safe boarding.
Noah's Reno broke ground in July 2017 and since then, 44 people opted not to enter the resource center's emergency shelter because it couldn't accommodate their pets.
Alonso named the facilities after her son, Noah. She says it's made a big impact on him.
Marlene Richter is a licensed Social Worker and has championed the development of programs to assist persons and families in crisis in Nevada for 22 years. She is an Air Force veteran and is educated in social work and ethics and policy studies from UNLV. With deep compassion for the communities in our state, Marlene served the rural community as Chair of The Substances of Abuse Task Force in Nye County, was a steering committee member of The Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force, a founding board member of the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, and an advisory committee member for the Saint Therese Center. She shares her experience in working with victims as an expert and has been a national speaker and trainer on the topic of Identifying and Serving Victims of Human Trafficking. Currently she is the Executive Director of Noah’s Animal House, an Advisory Committee Member for Ethics in the Marketplace, and serves as Vice-Chair of the Las Vegas Community Investment Corporation Advisory Board. Previous leadership positions include Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, WestCare Nevada, and The Shade Tree.