30/12/2024
Foster carers are always needed if you know if anyone
There is a critical time window, where someone decides to leave a domestic violence situation, and everything needs to be in place including somewhere for their animals. If they do not have safe place for their animals, they may delay leaving, return to feed & care for their animals putting themselves in danger, or they may return to the violent partner, in fear of what will happen to their pets feeling they have no other option.
I want to share a real-life story of Dexter*, Dexters* owner Katie* had somewhere to go, but she couldn't take her dog with her, so she refused to leave.
The Perpetrator of violence was arrested which bought some time.
Dexter* a beautiful boy, but large & a undesexed male dog is not an easy to place dog immediately. We helped the owner get him desexed ASAP to speed the process up, however while we were working on lining up a foster, the perpetrator was released from prison and immediately went to the home looking for Katie* & attacked dexter* with a baseball bat & tied him at the top of the stairs.
He was picked up by the police & arrested but was only charged with property damage because Katie* wasn't present at the time so it wasn't included in the existing domestic violence charges.
Dexter* was taken to the emergency vet & got treated for a fractured leg, Katie* had to pawn in her tv to pay for this. Dexter did come into our care and Katie* left. let's face it he wasn't going there for the dog, he was going there for her and when she wasn't there, he took it out on the dog.
This was a really close call! This was not the case earlier this year, I was devasted to learn of the alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst in NSW and that her 12-week-old puppy was alleged killed by her former partner in the weeks leading up to her death.
He was already on bail at the time of the murder & has been charged with murder, aggravated sexual assault without consent, stalking and intimidation, property damage, animal cruelty & breaching an apprehended violence order.
Research shows that animal abuse is an early indicator that a person will go on to kill their partner, why are we not taking this more seriously.
This is why services like ours are so crucial and lifesaving, yes, we need to make domestic violence shelters pet friendly however shelters are not always suitable for animals or a lot of the time you have to go to a motel before a shelter or some people may be staying with friends or family, we need a multi-level response.
We are a well-established organisation with a long history of collaborating with community organisations to support people and pets in crisis situations, in fact we are the lead organisation in SA and are committed to implementing a coordinated and multifaceted approach to supporting people escape domestic violence & pets are an integral part of that safety planning.
Who can help us in 2025 reach our goals?
SA Government lets recognise the critical role pets play in people's lives we can save lives and improve the wellbeing of society. The Human Animal Bond needs to be valued, recognised and supported. We need change and we need it now. With adequate funding we have model that can be delivered nationally.
Picture is of another beautiful woman we supported, and it changed her life.
We offer a range of grooming services to suit your beloved pet.
