Is That Any Way To Treat A Dog? You Bet.
–by Christie Zizo
There is no way to personalize this story. To protect iden- tities, no names will be revealed. All that matters is that every- one is safe, probably for the first time in a long time. They have a place to sleep, food to eat, and they have a chance at a new life. The whole family — four-legged members included. This December, Harbor House of Central Florida, will mark
one year since a unique facility opened: The Paws for Peace Kennel. “You only have to see an owner sitting with their pet and
see that they are both helping the other heal,” said Carol Wick, CEO for Harbor House of Central Florida. “It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve accomplished in my career.” The idea for the kennel came about eight years ago. The
goal was a privately-funded facility that cared for the pets of domestic violence victims — more like a doggy daycare than a shelter. “We had one $50,000 donation from the Orange County
Animal Services trust fund, but the rest of the money came from private donors,” Wick said. “The total project, including the attached donation center, cost in excess of $500,000.00.” The kennel includes 10 spots for dogs, 10 for cats, space for
pocket pets, a grooming area, dog runs, a park and a porch where cats can sit with their owners and relax. They also just hired a vet tech to give shots to animals when they come in. With the tech on hand, isolation times will be less. Since opening almost a year ago, the kennel has sheltered
44 dogs, 14 cats, a guinea pig and a bird (the guinea pig was the first guest). The average stay is from 30 to 45 days, but Wick said they’ve never been full. Is there a need for such a facility? Sadly yes. According
to the Centers for Disease Control, last year nearly three in 10 women and one in 10 men in the United States were the vic- tims of physical violence, rape or stalking by a partner. Unfortunately, 48 percent of the victims delay getting help
42 THE NEW BARKER
or leaving their abusive partner for fear of what will happen with their pets. Up to 85 percent say their partner threatened, hurt or killed a pet. Before the opening of the pet shelter, which primarily
serves Orange County, Harbor House received one or two calls a week from people who needed a place for their pet. Now with the shelter, Wick said they can help those peo-
ple. But they can’t help everyone. “I think what has surprised us is the number of requests we receive from out of state,” she said. There are 2,500 domestic violence shelters across the
United States, but only 70 shelters across North America (including Canada) have places for pets onsite. All of these shel- ters are part of the SAF-T program, which stands for Sheltering Animals and Families Together. Five are in Florida, including the one at Harbor House. The program was created by Allie Philips, an attorney
licensed in Michigan and Maryland (shown above with her cat, Lucy) who has dedicated her career to helping victims of crime, particularly animals and children. This national program is the first and only national initiative to help domestic violence shel- ters create on-site housing for family pets so that families in cri- sis do not have to be separated from their pets or leave them behind in an abusive home. Many domestic violence shelters do try to find a way to
help victims’ pets, but that might involve putting the pet in a shelter, or placing it with a foster. The separation adds further stress and trauma to the victims, especially children. Wick has some advice based on experience: “Partner with
a qualified kennel like we did,” she says. “Orange County Animal Services was a vital partner in the design, construction and implementation of our kennel. There is a lot to it. It is so much more than just building a kennel. The animals need lots of special veterinary and often behavioral care.
www.TheNewBarker.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112