Thursday, April 14, 2011

PAWS Program Helps Protect Pets and Families


I was recently asked by my friend Vicki Boatright (aka Bztat) to contribute to her blog Okey's Promise, which addresses the connection between animal cruelty, child abuse, and domestic violence. And while I was familiar with this connection in theory, the issue was quickly brought home to me when a twitter friend asked for help finding temporary housing for two dogs who were being displaced due to a domestic violence situation.

Research indicates a strong connection linking animal abuse and domestic violence. Studies have also shown that upward to 48 percent of women refuse or delay leaving an abusive home out of fear of leaving their pets or livestock behind.

The Pets And Women's Shelters (PAWS) Program was born out of the need to provide safe housing for pets along with their families. The program, which began at the American Humane Society, is the first and only national initiative to address this need, providing a manual of guidelines to help family violence centers provide safe housing for pets.

When the program began in 2008, only four family violence shelters were known to provide on-site housing for pets. Currently, approximately 60 shelters provide on-site housing, and the program continues to grow. But with 2,500 domestic violence shelters across the country, more needs to be done to keep families with pets safe.

While no longer housed at the American Humane Society, the PAWS Program continues to work with several national domestic violence organizations. The program also collaborates with United Animal Nations, an organization that helps provide funding for victims of domestic violence and their pets through their Crisis Relief for Individuals grants program.

If you or someone you know is in a domestic violence situation, please visit the Okey's Promise website for a listing of emergency resources available to families with pets.

18 comments:

  1. Wow, Bunny! You always find great organizations to post about! Thanks for sharing this information...we had no idea an organization like this even existed.
    Cairn cuddles, Oz

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are great organizations. Unfortunately the new Congress is de-funding so many great organizations, you wonder how long these will be around.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another much needed post BJ. So glad you posted this and shared the timely informaiton with us to help with Pugs and Doodles.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for introducing me to PAWS. I will definitely be visiting the links to learn more.

    -Chandra at Daley's Dog Years

    ReplyDelete
  5. A very important issue, and one that needs much attention! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Isn't it amazing what we learn from one another. Although it makes perfect sense that there could be a connection, I had never considered it before. And I can tell you that I would have to be scared for my life before I would leave my dogs behind under these circumstances. Thanks for enlightening me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That is a great cause Vicki. And think what a comfort those animals are to all the residents in the shelters too.
    Peggy Frezon
    BTC4Animal.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Vicki,

    I love the Okey's Promise project and am happy to learn more about PAWS. I also didn't realize that United Animal Nations helps victims of domestic violence. I was mostly familiar with their "My Dog Is Cool" campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of dogs left in cars.

    Thanks for Blogging the Change!
    Kim from
    BtC4animals.com
    ThisOneWildLife.com
    BarkOutLoudWeekly.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for sharing this- I knew about the connection but this really drives it home.

    Thank you again!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for posting about this, it was definitely informative and something I've wondered about for some time.

    I also wanted to thank you for visiting my blog and commenting -- I appreciate it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. UAN is a terrific group and I'm proud of my affiliation with them. Thanks so much for sharing yet another important aspect of their work.

    ReplyDelete
  12. We are aware of Okey's promise and thank you for mentioning them. I also just have to say, I think you are the only bunny blogger! I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a great organization not only is there a link between animal abuse and violence but the two victims right movements go hand in hand to when we can get people to start paying attention to the neglect domestic victims and abused animals suffer one helps the other great post

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a great program thanks for blogging about it....I'm going to visit PAWS and learn more about it and then share the information on my website thanks for sharing the links...! I found your blog through the Blog Hop.

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a great program to promote. There are a lot of women that will not leave an abusive situation because they are afraid that the pet will suffer if left behind with the abuser.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks everyone for your comments. I am slowly working my way through the list, so I will stop by and say hi to each of you!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I posted about the PAWS program for a previous BtC - I'm so happy to see others spreading the word! It really is a great program isn't it? :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Pup Fan - thanks for visiting. The PAWS program is great. I hope more people share the information so that people with pets who are in domestic violence situations can get the help they need.

    ReplyDelete