Charlotte, North Carolina (queen city news) — Domestic violence has become a perennial problem, with ripple effects on communities, families, and animals alike across the country.
Some victims struggle to overcome the mountain of accepting help, but they run into a new hurdle: accepting an animal pet.
In 2018, one-third of domestic violence survivors in North Carolina refused or delayed getting help because they had little or no options for their pets. did.
In several cases, pets were used as pawns to manipulate victims, or abusers killed pets to send a message.
These numbers highlight a larger problem that some organizations have been trying to solve for years, while others have stepped in to spread hope.
“We've never been able to get a client into a pet-friendly shelter,” said Katie Credle, a Boone-area mother who used to be a caseworker for domestic violence victims.
In her career, she has heard stories of people who have chosen to leave their pets with abusers or leave their homes and live in tents.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence found that only 12% of domestic violence assistance programs have the capacity to provide shelter for victims and their pets.
“We're almost always booked and we have a waiting list for months,” Katie explained.
24% of shelters make referrals, and 85% of shelters report talking to women who say their pets are being abused.
“[Abusers] They will realize how much the animal means to their partner and will withhold, abuse, or kill the animal. ”
Katie joined Boone area veterinarians and began a mission to leverage a network of pet foster families to care for pets until victims can get out of their situations and find stable homes.
That organization is called high country pose.
Although the group is new, it is starting to expand its network into parts of North Carolina, including Charlotte.
The organization is currently recruiting new individuals to help foster pets.
While pet ownership is an issue, organizations in Charlotte report that some pet owners are taking more drastic measures to keep their pets safe.
“Some patients release their dogs and let them become strays because they don't have a place to put them,” Jessica Oram explains.
She is an advocate for causes such as Greater Charlotte Hope Line I speak to victims of domestic violence every day.
“I didn't realize how big of an issue pet adoption was for victims of domestic violence until I started working here,” she explained.
Charlotte Animal Care and Control is one of the few places in the city where victims of domestic violence see animals in need.
Over two years, more than 20 animals were cared for and victims received help.
“The pet is going to be threatened,” said Melissa Nicely of Charlotte Animal Care and Control. She said, “'If you leave me, I'm going to kill my pet.'”
Having been on the front lines of this animal issue for 20 years, she said she has seen the need grow, but the shelter's capacity can only accommodate a limited number of pets.
Some of them are related to renovations being done at the shelter.
Melissa explained: “We will do everything we can to ensure the safety of pets. I do not know under what circumstances the pets brought here were killed.”
Lawmakers are not completely unaware of this problem that is troubling so many people.
In 2018, Congress Pet and Women's Authority Act, or PAWS Actwhich was the “Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program.”
It expires in 2024, but can be reauthorized until 2028.
Melissa said, “Financial restrictions hold many victims back. Often their partners earn the money, so they can't go out and find a place to live.”
Financial assistance is great, but caregivers and caseworkers say access is key to giving some victims the courage to take the first steps to escape life-or-death situations.
If you are a victim of domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 800-799-7233. You can also text START to 88788.
