We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts.
FROM Robert Brum,
The Journal News
January 25, 2016
Rockland's Paws for Safety program seeks foster homes while victims recover
NEW CITY — Mercedes Cecchin was desperate to escape from the dangerous
situation she said she was in living with her husband.
But when a spot opened up in a Rockland shelter for Cecchin and her
6-year-old daughter, she was torn.
If she left, what would happen to her dog, Cody? She had no family in the
area, none of her friends could take him and she didn't want to leave him
behind.
“They’re calling me and said come in because we are ready for you but I said
no, I can’t because I didn’t look for a place for Cody," Cecchin recalled
Thursday at the Center for Safety and Change.
Her dilemma was not uncommon for victims of domestic violence — some change
their minds about leaving because they're concerned about their pet, said
Elizabeth Santiago, the center's executive director.
"One of her biggest concerns was what she was going to do with the dog ...
Cody was as much a part of her life as (her daughter)," Santiago said.
Fortunately for Cecchin, she didn't have to leave Cody behind.
"They told me, 'Come in with him,'" she said.
The center's Paws for Safety program placed the silver Yorkie in a foster
home through an arrangement with Hi Tor Animal Care Center. Four months
later, Cecchin found an apartment of her own that accepted pets and had
begun to put her life back together.
On Thursday, Cody scampered around a family room at the center, yapping
excitedly and jumping into Cecchin's lap as she described how difficult it
was to explain to her daughter, Emma, that they wouldn't be able to see Cody
for awhile.
Cecchin, 45, teared up as she recalled her reunion with Cody.
“It was a very emotional situation,” she said.
The Cecchins are among some 15 families who have had their pets — mostly
dogs and cats — fostered through the program since its inception in 2012.
“Our goal with the Paws program really is to reunite the family in its
entirety," Santiago said.
"There’s such a correlation between human abuse — domestic violence,
intimate partner violence — and pet abuse," she added.
Nancy Donoghue, the center's legal advocate and coordinator of the pet
safety program, said the focus is on removing all the weapons a batterer
could use to prevent someone from leaving.
"It's about the power and the control the perpetrator has over their
intimate partner and how those animals become pawns in a game of power and
control," she said.
With the center's legal help, Cecchin divorced her husband. She still
struggles to re-create her life and care for Emma, who is now 8 and has
diabetes. There are financial and employment hurdles ahead.
It's not an easy journey.
But she has the support of the people at the Center for Safety and Change,
whom she calls her extended family.
And, of course, she has Cody.
For information about Paws for Safety, call Nancy Donoghue, 845-634-3391, extension 3033.
The Center for Safety and Change's 24-hour hotline is 845-634-3344.
Some facts about animal abuse and domestic violence:
Sources: National Link Coalition, Deviney, Dickert & Lockwoodtext
Return to: Articles and Media Coverage
Read more at Stop Hunting/Trapping
WESTCHESTER4GEESE is an adjunct of ANIMAL DEFENDERS OF WESTCHESTER. We advocate against all forms of animal abuse and exploitation, including hunting, experimentation, fur, circuses and rodeos - https://www.facebook.com/Westchester4Geese