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By: Kristen Board  As we approach a year of being in the pandemic, many people are feeling exhausted and drained. Many people cling to the comfort of their precious pets when going through hard times. Others find it rewarding to reach out and help other people in times of despair. The Foster Pet Program at Beacon of Hope Crisis Center provides several opportunities for people to volunteer their time to help people and pets. The work of our agency and Foster Pet Program is more crucial than ever at this time because domestic violence and sexual assault have only increased within our community during the pandemic.
Many shelters in Indiana do not accept pets, so victims of domestic violence and sexual assault are left to decide whether to leave their beloved pet behind with their abuser or permanently rehome their pet while they find shelter. Statistics show that up to 40% of victims do not leave their abusive situations for fear of what will happen to their beloved pet. 71% of women in DV shelters have reported that their abuser has threatened, harmed, or killed their pet. Our program provides a temporary home to pet victims until the owner can secure safe housing and be reunited with their beloved pet. Our Foster Pet Program would not exist without the time and dedication of our volunteer foster caregivers, donors, and program volunteers. We are so grateful for everyone who has supported our program and helped us to save the lives of countless human and pet victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. We are actively recruiting for volunteer foster pet caregivers and other program volunteers for our Foster Pet Program. If you want to learn more about the Link between pet abuse and domestic violence, how our Foster Pet Program works, or the several ways to get involved by volunteering with our program, consider attending one of our virtual information sessions coming up in March. Register for one of our information sessions here: Tuesday, March 2nd 12pm-1pm Tuesday March 2nd 4pm-5pm By: Marty Burtt  Beacon of Hope Crisis Center’s Foster Pet Program is a unique service that we are proud to be able to offer to our clients. Family pets offer a sense of stability, comfort, and unconditional love that creates a special bond between a family and their pet. In homes with domestic violence and/or sexual assault, the family pet is at a high risk of being abused and/or neglected. Over 71% of battered women reported that their batterers had harmed, killed, or threatened animals to coerce, control, and humiliate them*. Additionally, numerous surveys have reported that 25% to 40% of battered women report they delayed their decision to seek safety out of fear for their animals’ welfare**. Our Foster Pet Program helps protect pets in homes where violence is happening by placing them in a temporary, safe home until it is safe for them to be back with their family.
Our Foster Pet Program gives victims peace of mind in knowing that their pet/s is safe. Our Foster Pet Program Coordinator (FPPC) gets weekly updates from the foster family on the pet/s and how the pet/s is doing and then provides that update to the victim. The FPPC is in consistent communication with everyone involved with the pet/s. We are always excited when victims have secured a safe home and can safely be reunited with their pet/s. This program is available to any victim of domestic violence and/or sexual assault that is fleeing their abuser, as well as victims that are receiving services from other agencies. Beacon of Hope Crisis Center has recently launched the Central Indiana Pet Abuse Link Task Force to help keep Indiana pets safe. The Pet Abuse Link Task Force is comprised of individuals within the community that share our passion for keeping pets safe. Learn more about our Foster Pet Program here. *Ascione, Weber & Wood, 1997 **McIntosh, 2002 By Kristin Scriven  Introducing Tracy Vatne, Beacon of Hope’s Pet Victim Advocate and Foster Pet Program Coordinator! Tracy has been with Beacon of Hope for almost two years heading our foster pet program. Tracy’s favorite part of her job is getting to see a pet reunite with their owner. A fun fact about Tracy is that from 2013 to 2016 she fostered 63 dogs and over 80 cats!
A local Indianapolis native, Tracy has spent most of her life advocating on the behalf of animals. Tracy works with people in the community who would be willing to foster animals while their owners are leaving an abusive relationship. In abusive relationships, animals often suffer at the hand of an abuser. Pets are also used to control and manipulate victims of domestic violence. Additionally, Tracy gives presentations around the community to raise awareness about how to prevent animal abuse and how animal abuse is directly linked to family violence. Advocating for animal rights is Tracy’s passion. Working for an organization where she can make a tangible difference in the lives of animals and victims is her dream job! Thanks for your passion, Tracy! We’re so glad to have you on our team! By Sandra K. Ziebold Our Foster Pet Program helps victims leave their abusers. Victims do not want to leave their pets behind and when safe shelter doesn’t allow pets to come along our program temporarily safely provides for pets. The program consists of volunteer host families who agree to temporarily house pets while the victim is getting the help needed. This is a major barrier for many victims that need to leave their violent situation. When pets are used by abusers to control the primary victim often those pets need medical attention and with the help of our partners we provide whatever is needed for them. Our program is committed to supporting the needs of those who have been affected by violence.  |
About this blog
This blog is about our domestic and sexual violence crisis center, Beacon of Hope. We hope you find it full of helpful information, motivation, creativity, serious facts and positivity. We hope that it will help you know what is happening in our center, in our community and with our events. We hope you follow our blog in support of our organization and our mission. Archives
October 2024
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