Demeter's Garden

I’ve posted about this before but I’m posting about it again. Pets can often become pawns in domestic violence situations. Someone could be the victim of violence,and they might be willing to leave the home, but they are afraid for the welfare of their pets. Oftentimes animals are not allowed in shelters for domestic violence victims. Abusers are able to use that fear to control their victims by threatening to harm the animal if the victim leaves.

I was just reading the newsletter from our vets office and there was an article about this issue. What I learned was that there are shelters teaming up with animal welfare agencies to create options to keep pets safe and get abuse victims out of their situation. There are foster programs available where pets can be taken care of temporarily while their owners are in a shelter, with the intention of reuniting them once the victim is settled into a new home. Sweet!

Georgia House Bill 429

Did you know that pets are often caught in the middle of domestic violence disputes? The state of Georgia is considering a bill that would allow pets to be added to protection orders in domestic violence cases. There is more info about this bill from the ASPCA here. Here is some pretty startling info:

“Sixty percent of female victims of domestic violence have had a pet killed by their abuser(s)—and up to 40 percent of battered women delay going to a shelter because they fear what will happen to the pets they must leave behind.”

You can help by contacting your state representative! Don’t know who your rep is? Follow that ASPCA link above. They have a site set up that lets you personalize a letter that they will email to your rep for you! How easy is that? Want more info on HB 429? The Humane Society has a page about it too!