FavorHouse hosts Paws for a Cause to raise awareness for animal cruelty in domestic violence cases.
By: Christian Haley
FavorHouse of Northwest Florida hosted Paws for a Cause on Oct. 5th at Corinne Jones Park to raise awareness of animal cruelty in abusive relationships. | ||||||
FavorHouse is a pet-friendly domestic violence center located at 2001 W. Blount St. At their event, there were several different activities to participate in, such as, a one-mile dog walk around Corinne Jones Park, an RC car race courtesy of Scottkins Glen RC Racing, and a pet costume contest to help raise money for victims of abuse. The event was a success with a large turnout of event sponsors, concerned individuals, and lots of pets.
One of these sponsors was the Animal Hospital of Tiger Point, located at 4118 Gulf Breeze Pkwy. When a staff member was questioned on why they had decided to sponsor Paws for a Cause, she had this to say, “We have recently lost a member of our team to domestic violence and wanted to come here and show our support.” A sad reality for many in Florida with an uptick in domestic violence of 1.3%. Kathy Hough is a member of FavorHouse. Kathy is an Economic Empowerment Specialist. She helps victims become financially free of their abusers. When asked why people should care about Paws for a Cause, Kathy responded “Well, as a pet-friendly domestic violence center we know how important it is to keep victims and their pets together. When victims know they’ll be separated from their animals, they are less likely to seek help. This can make it more dangerous for the victim and their companion. Only 17% of domestic violence centers in the US are pet-friendly, and we want to change that.” Further research indicates a strong correlation between domestic violence cases and animal cruelty. 70% of victims have pets and of those victims, 56% have reported that their pet has either been abused or killed by their abuser. Victims will delay leaving or not leave abusive relationships due to their pets. Studies show that 43% of victims stay in relationships because they do not know what to do with their pets. Some even return to relationships because of fear for the animal’s safety. Abusers also often use pets to manipulate their victims. They will leverage the bond between victims and their companions against them. They often do this with threats or acts of violence to the pet to control and isolate victims. In some cases, abusers will force children to watch or even partake in the abuse of the animal. This has been shown to lead to a greater likelihood of acts of violence in the child’s future.
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