Books, Dogs, and Other Blogs

 I ran across an article on a Womens' Shelter that allows women (or men) to include their pets when they seek asylum from abusive spouses.  

“Accepting pets is important because all members of the family unit deserve respect and a lot of pets are also subjected to cruelty and abuse, . . A lot of times, abusing an animal is just another form of control for the abuser.

And such a sad fact of life could wind up putting a domestic violence victim between a rock and a hard place, Drouin said.

“When I started working at the shelter in 1996, women would call for shelter for themselves, their children and their pets,” she said. “We were unable to accept pets at the time (so) survivors would not come to the shelter and would either opt to stay in their home to protect their animals or live in their cars — if they had one. Either way, this was dangerous (and) this is what led us to opening a kennel in our new facility. This gives survivors the opportunity to come and not have to leave their beloved pet behind.”

 “We know that women entering domestic violence shelters are facing extremely difficult life issues, and leaving their pet behind shouldn’t be one of them,” she said. “That is why we feel these grants are so important: we’re able to help a shelter provide for these animals and give some peace of mind to domestic abuse victims.”

John Osborne
Collier News

A message from AKC:

"Did you know that investigation of animal abuse is often the first point of social services intervention for a family in trouble? A shocking 71% of pet owning victims report that their batterer had threatened, injured or killed family pets.

The AKC Humane Fund proudly makes grants to domestic violence shelters that accept pets. Read about one of the many organizations we have helped in the spirit of “Helping the Whole Family.” Carol Drouin from The Shelter for Abused Women & Children in Naples, Florida, explains that opening a kennel in the domestic violence shelter “gives survivors the opportunity to come and not have to leave their beloved pet behind…Keeping pets and their owners together brings normalcy to families, and what we also see is that animals are therapeutic to their owners and others…”

It’s exactly those sorts of benefits that have led the AKC Humane Fund to fund the animal program in Naples and at similar women’s shelters around the country. Grant money provides food, medical care, crates, outdoor runs, supplies and much more. The bond between a pet and owner is powerful and healing. For victims of domestic abuse, maintaining the connection can be especially important.

Please help us continue this important work. We know you agree – a pet’s place in the family is indisputable."  (If you care to contribute, the link is below.)