Giving up pets to seek rehab can worsen trauma. A Colorado group intends to end that

DENVER (AP) — Simon Rubick had lost almost everything to decades of alcoholism and drug addiction.

In 2022, he found himself without a vehicle and without a home, which forced his two teenage children to move in with friends. He had burned bridges with friends and family and it took a drug-induced stint in the hospital for him to realize his cocaine addiction was going to be a “death sentence.”

Rubick, who lives in the Denver suburb of Arvada, Colorado, knew he needed help. But first he had to figure out what to do with one of the only sources of unconditional love and support he had left: his beloved German shepherd rescue, Tonks.

Most residential rehab centers in the United States don’t allow patients to bring their pets along, said Rubick, 51. So when his brother could no longer help care for the dog, Rubick thought he would have to make the excruciating decision to give up Tonks.

“It basically came down to being able to take care of my dog or being able to take care of myself,” he said.

Rubick — who has been sober for more than two years and is now an addiction recovery coach — was connected to the group PAWsitive Recovery, which fosters animals while their owners receive treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, and for people dealing with domestic violence or mental health crises.

“People that are trying to get into recovery sometimes have lost their families, their children, any kind of support system that they have had," said Serena Saunders, the organization's program manager. "You’re not going to compound trauma that you’ve already had by giving up the one thing that hasn’t given up on you, and that’s people’s animals.”

Saunders founded PAWsitive Recovery in Denver three years ago. Since then, it's helped more than 180 people and their pets, and Saunders said...