In previous blogs, I discussed about how animals can help us cope with the pandemic and provide unconditional love for those who have been bullied or have gone through a bitter divorce. Pets can also help survivors of domestic abuse. On February 7, Rescued for His Kingdom (rescuedforhiskingdom.org), an organization founded by Cesiah Guerra (a domestic abuse survivor) to empower domestic violence survivors to thrive with micro-grants for housing, education, transportation, workshops, and resources, posted my blog entitled “Let Animals be Your Superpower.” Check it out at https://cesiahguerra.wixsite.com/website/single-post/let-animals-be-your-superpower.
Here is just a snippet from that blog ….
“Breaking free from my abuser had one other advantage – I could now have a pet. Although I loved both dogs and cats, I preferred cats because I traveled for my job. Before I had a chance to adopt a cat from a shelter, my staff gave me a gray and white kitten for my birthday. Now, instead of living with abuser, I had someone who loved me unconditionally. The kitten (whom I named Clio) looked exactly like the cat I had as a child. That cat, Lisa, provided unconditional love and comfort to me since I was constantly bullied in school. Clio turned out to be the best gift ever because she not only provided me unconditional love but helped me realize my self-worth. Nothing was wrong with me being me! Moreover, she and the stray cat I adopted a year later (Dickens) allowed me to trust and love again…”
“… I am deeply indebted to Clio for all she did for me after my abusive marriage. Without her I would never have regained by self-esteem and self-confidence nor had the ability to trust and love again. In many ways Clio was unique, but in many ways she was not. All animals provide us with companionship and unconditional love and can teach us so much about life and how to overcome adversity. They are truly our superpowers.”
As a survivor myself, I cannot imagine surviving and thriving after an abusive marriage without a pet. Unfortunately, many individuals are in abusive relationships, but they have pets and are worried that the abusive spouse might hurt or get rid of the pet. In working on my book, I found a unique and wonderful organization, The Safe Haven Network (SHN), which works with shelters to find temporary boarding for pets of domestic violence victims and allows these victims to have their pets after they are out of their abusive relationships and can start a new life together. I suggest you check them out at https://thesafehavennetwork.org/. They are also posting a link to my blog on Cesiah Guerra’s Rescued for his Kingdom blog on SHN’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SafeHavenNetwork).
