KWKT – FOX 44

Help the Family Abuse Center build a pet shelter

(Courtesy: Family Abuse Center)

WACO, Texas (FOX 44) – Waco’s Family Abuse Center is hoping to raise $20,000 by August 1 to build a pet shelter on their property.

The organization hopes to do this so no domestic violence survivor who seeks their services has to leave a furry friend behind. As many as 48 percent of domestic violence survivors delay leaving an abuser out of concern for their pets – but when emergency shelters like theirs can welcome animals, this barrier to safety is eliminated.

(Courtesy: Family Abuse Center)

At this time, only 17 percent of domestic violence shelters accept pets. Welcoming pets to the shelter protects them from unsafe people, according to the Family Abuse Center.

The organization says that especially in a domestic violence situation, abusers might target pets to maintain terror and fright, eliminate a source of support, force the family to return home or gain more power and control. Ensuring pets have a refuge keeps survivors and animals alive.

The Family Abuse Center says that building a pet shelter is an important step in its mission to eliminate domestic violence in Central Texas by sheltering victims of domestic violence, and by preventing abuse from occurring through intervention and education.

If you would like to be a part of giving survivors and their pets a safe place to heal together, donations can be made by going here. If you or someone you know is at risk, you can call the Family Abuse Center’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-283-8401.