'My dog is family': domestic abuse victims and the pets they can't leave

[niyad]

'My dog is family': domestic abuse victims and the pets they can't leave

When abuse causes the breakup of a home, it’s not just the people who suffer. Leaving an abuser is difficult and dangerous, but with a pet it is even harder


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Only one organization in New York allows survivors of domestic violence to stay in shelters with their pets. Illustration: Vin Ganapathy


There was a cat, the man at the shelter tells me, who was put in a microwave. The man was furious at his partner for leaving the house to run errands without his permission. Knowing she was half an hour away, he told her that if she did not return home within the next 10 minutes, he would put her beloved cat in the microwave. The feat was impossible – and the resulting punishment and distress hard to imagine.

Leaving an abuser can be one of the most dangerous times for a victim. But if you have a pet, leaving is even harder. Almost half of abused victims will delay their departure if they cannot bring their animals. And yet, few domestic abuse shelters around the US are able to accommodate pets. In New York City, the Urban Resource Institute (URI), which has been doing so since 2013, is the only one providing such a service in just a couple of its shelters. The need far exceeds services provided, staff say.

Shockingly, given that approximately 65% of American households have pets, URI say they have only identified seven other urban shelters across the US able to accommodate domestic violence survivors together with their animals.

A Pet and Women Safety Act (shortened to PAWS) is currently pending in Congress. If passed into federal law, the legislation, which implicitly links the two issues of pet abuse and domestic violence, would expand protections to pets and victims of domestic violence. It would also, crucially, expand funding for more comprehensively equipped domestic violence shelters.

. . . .

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jun/16/domestic-abuse-survivors-pets

[demmiblue]

1. K&R

[Omaha Steve]

2. x 2

K&R!

OS

[demmiblue]

3. What an awful choice to make.

I'm sure a lot of women have died because they didn't want to leave their furry family members to an unknown fate.

[niyad]

4. it is indeed an awful choice. so glad that at least some agencies are starting to address

this issue

now, if only more of them would do it for other emergencies (weather and fire evacuations, say)

[milestogo]

5. I saw a domestic abuse victim surrendering her dog.

I had an out of town contract with a long commute, so I took my dog to a daycare/shelter there.

When I picked him up one day there was a woman in the lobby crying and saying goodbye to her dog. The person in charge was saying "your dog is going to be fine, we will find a good home, just take care of yourself and be safe". It was heartbreaking. But I am glad that this place took her dog without asking for a dime. At least she could find a safe place for the dog while looking for a place for herself.

[niyad]

6. thank you for posting this. good to know that there are some groups willing to help.

[Angry Dragon]

7. K&R

[Delmette]

8. How about foster homes for the pets.

If a woman knows she can get her pet back when she is on her feet that would be wonderful.

I know we need more foster homes for children, but there must be people who could help the animals and the rare few who could do both.

[niyad]

9. there are rescue and foster organizations, one would think this would be a natural thing

for them to do.

[laundry_queen]

10. Where I live

I saw on the news awhile back that there is an organization that will take pets temporarily until the woman can get back on her feet. They find foster homes for the pets and the women are able to visit the pets. My SIL is a cop who is in the DV unit and deals with this daily - I'll have to ask her if this organization is still around. It's a really great idea.