Hark, Abusers and Pets -- Another DV Myth is Born

Submitted by Matt on Sat, 2010-08-14 17:06

From Abusegate Bob:

The domestic violence industry shows a remarkable propensity to conjure up the most creative claims and then present them as scientific "fact." In this article, the author makes this claim: "In fact, studies have shown that up to 48 percent of women delay leaving an abusive home out of fear that their pets will be harmed if left behind."

But when you realize that the great majority of women in abuse shelters are poor and often homeless, the notion that half of them can't flee an abusive situation because of a pet is flat-out absurd.

No surprise, the author conveniently forgets to provide the source of her claim. Maybe if every Abusegater were to contact Allie Phillips at PAWSprogram@americanhumane.org and ask her to provide the reference for her "statistic," the lies might begin to stop.

Enjoy.

'PAWS® Program
Guest Author - Allie Phillips, J.D. Vice President of Human-Animal Strategic Initiatives, American Humane Association

I am very pleased to be bringing this article to you all. I have many requests for programs like this or people escaping abuse don't want to leave their pets behind.

Prior to joining American Humane in 2007, Allie Phillips was an assistant prosecuting attorney and handled cases involving battered women who had pets that were also at risk for harm. As she describes in this article, she was inspired by her experiences to develop American Humane’s PAWS Program to help both the human and the animal victims of abuse.
...
Thus, the Pets and Women’s Shelters (PAWS) Program was born in February 2008. In December 2008, Paula Abdul (singer, songwriter, dancer, and most notably a judge on American Idol) signed on to be the spokesperson for PAWS. “The relationship I have with my dogs is not only very special to me, but also a great source of comfort and peace of mind,” said Abdul. “The PAWS Program is a critical way of providing a transition for abused women and children into a safer and better life. I feel privileged to be involved with this extremely important and necessary program.”'

Source: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art67965.asp

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