Roberts, an inspector with the RSPCA, was called by a vet treating a Maltese cross dog whose injuries were initially described as a grooming accident. The vet told Roberts that the explanation provided did not match the wounds. Through conversations with the dog's owner, Roberts learned the animal had been stabbed by her intimate partner. The woman also showed Roberts her own bruised thigh, revealing she too was a victim of violence.
"The vet said, 'The story we received doesn't quite match the injuries we're looking at'," Roberts said. She soon began to suspect both the badly wounded dog and his female owner were victim-survivors of violence. "It was then really clear and obvious this was a case of domestic and family violence, and the dog had been injured deliberately," she said.
Police charged the perpetrator with offences including animal cruelty. For Roberts, the case became a turning point that led her to establish a crisis accommodation program for pets, allowing victims to leave violent homes without fearing for their animals' safety. Details of the program have not been fully disclosed.