Now that Domestic Violence Awareness Month has ended, we’re sharing the final blog in our three-part series commemorating the two-year anniversary of the launch of Quinn’s Corner Fund. We invite you to learn about the nonprofits that support DV survivors and their pets, as well as the fund’s progress toward ensuring greater access to pet-friendly sanctuaries and services across New Jersey in part 1 and part 2.
If you’re in danger and need help, call the NJ Statewide Domestic Violence Helpline at 1-800-572-SAFE. Deaf survivors can call 1-855-812-1001 or text LOVEIS to 22522.
Content warning: This blog contains descriptions of violence against animals.
She will never forget the day that her companion Bentley was murdered by someone she thought she could trust.
An argument ensued between Jocelyn Graham and her then-partner one night in June 2022. She said it escalated to threats to harm both of her dogs in messages he texted the next day. While Graham was at work, Nicholas Winter viciously killed her black toy poodle and abandoned her golden toy poodle, Sophia, outside.
Bentley had contusions and broken bones in his head, neck, and body, according to the postmortem exam. He only weighed six pounds.
At that time, Bentley and Sophia were a loving source of comfort, healing, and strength for Graham.
The poodles had been her constant companions since her early 20s, she recalled. They were with her through the ups and downs of life, including when she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2019 and completed treatment.
“Losing Bentley was not only completely heartbreaking; it also silenced me for quite some time,” Graham said. “No one that goes through something as debilitating and tragic as that should feel that way and rebuilding my confidence and regaining my voice is still a work in progress.”
A ‘calling’ that leads to healing
Whenever she recounts Bentley’s murder, the memories stir up a range of emotions.
There was gratitude that Sophia was found a few blocks away from her ex’s home by a neighbor and dropped off at the Monmouth County SPCA. There was also great disappointment that he was sentenced to only 180 days in county jail. Graham said Winter pleaded guilty to third-degree animal cruelty resulting in death and was offered a plea deal of a three-year prison sentence. But, he only served a little over a month last year and was released.
With the help of 180 Turning Lives Around, Graham began working through her anger and sorrow over Bentley’s tragic death in therapy. She also obtained a permanent restraining order against her ex that included Sophia and a new dog she welcomed to her family — a 4-year-old, toy poodle named “Kingston.” The Monmouth County nonprofit provides support services, legal advocacy, and a safe haven for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors. The organization was also the first shelter in New Jersey to offer a safe house for both survivors and their pets.
Over time, Graham’s connection with 180 Turning Lives Around led her to pursue working at the organization in multiple areas. Then came her “calling.” Graham found out that a new pet liaison position had been created with support from Quinn’s Corner, a fund at the Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ) that aims to ensure survivors and their companions have access to pet-inclusive crisis shelters and services in all 21 New Jersey counties. She transitioned to that new role a year ago.
“I want to help other survivors feel supported and have the necessary resources to overcome these horrific tragedies,” Graham shared. “My experience in losing my companion Bentley so tragically has guided me in this direction wholeheartedly.”
Her cancer has been in remission for seven years, and she regularly brings Kingston to work with her at the shelter. Sophia, unfortunately, passed away in November 2023.
“I decided after a triple-negative cancer battle in 2019 that I wanted to work in [the] nonprofit [space],” Graham said. “At the time, I wasn’t sure what that journey looked like. I just knew I wanted to help others in need in our community.”
Ensuring safety and wellness for survivors and pets
So far, nearly $6 million in grants have been awarded to 30 grantee partners that are helping survivors find services, safety, and healing. The funding covers veterinarian services, pet supplies and food, staff training and pet advocate positions, planning needs, and more.
“This initiative shows that philanthropy can do more than fund existing services,” said Janet Ginest, who works as the Pet Advocate at Younity. “It can help organizations innovate, remove barriers, and transform how services are delivered.”
Although advocates, liaisons, ambassadors, and animal response teams exist in the animal advocacy world, an initiative specifically focused on hiring pet advocates at DV shelters is a new model in New Jersey.
Lisette Ortiz, the Access, Advocacy & Pets Manager at the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence, explained that these team members act as a “concierge” for survivors. Their responsibilities range from helping a pet get vaccinated or microchipped to participating in the design process as nonprofits retrofit their spaces for all types of pets — including guinea pigs, hamsters, horses, birds, cats, and dogs.
The advocates “have different portfolios of responsibilities tailored to their roles and to the needs of their organizations,” Ortiz shared. They focus on the “welfare of both the pet and the survivors [and] connect them to what they need.”
The advocates also:
- Help survivors navigate the practical and emotional challenges of bringing a pet into a shelter by offering trauma-informed support as well as assistance with transitional and permanent housing
- Develop safety plans that include animals and educate staff about the connection between domestic violence, coercive control, and harm to pets
- Create comprehensive protocols and procedures as well as integrate policies to safely accommodate humans and pets in shelters
- Coordinate the treatment and care of pets and collaborate with case managers to ensure the wellness of both survivors and their companions
- Build community partnerships with veterinarians, animal trainers, law enforcement, justice centers, and more
‘I won the job lottery’
Nine pet advocates and liaisons are currently supported by Quinn’s Corner Fund. Five are actively working in Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Union, and Warren counties, while funding has been committed for four positions in Middlesex, Morris, Ocean, and Passaic counties.
All of them work closely with CFNJ’s partners, RedRover and Greater Good Charities, who are involved in a growing movement to provide greater access to pet-inclusive services and housing across the nation through the Don’t Forget the Pets project.
“It is important to have someone dedicated to this work so that pet-related needs do not fall through the cracks. I am deeply compassionate about animals and had been advocating for this type of program for years,” Ginest said. “I believe that passion helps survivors feel understood and reassured that both they and their pets will be cared for as they begin rebuilding their lives.”
Like Graham, Ginest felt called to her role as a pet advocate.
“I often say that I won the job lottery. The opportunity to help create a program where survivors can enter safe housing without leaving their pets behind is incredibly meaningful to me,” she said. “I feel fortunate to do work that brings together two things I care deeply about: supporting survivors who face significant barriers to safety and protecting animals in vulnerable situations.”
To read the entire three-part series on the Quinn’s Corner Fund, or to apply for a grant, visit cfnj.org/lindemann.