<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/29/seeing-her-hurt-was-more-than-i-could-bear-the-family-pets-left-in-limbo-amid-australias-domestic-violence-crisis-ntwnfb>
"Sarah* looked down at her phone and saw the text. It had no words – just a
picture of her dog tied up in the sun, on a dirt road she didn’t know. It was
January, the hottest part of the year.
She says it was sent by her husband, who she had left nine weeks earlier,
fleeing with her two children.
Sarah tells
Guardian Australia that her situation got so bad that she
believes she and her children were at risk of being killed.
Sarah’s husband was struggling with substance abuse, had severe mental health
issues and had access to firearms. They had been together for three years, and
she says the physical and sexual abuse had escalated.
She also says that he had threatened to kill her, and would often hurt the
dogs.
Last November, Sarah was moved to an emergency hotel for a week, before getting
temporary accommodation. Neither place allowed pets. So while some of her pets
stayed with another family member, a dog ended up back with her husband.
When Sarah tried to get him back, she says her husband refused. So she started
a civil court proceeding – and she says that’s when he dumped the dog and sent
the photo.
Advocates know pets are often abused or used to control victims. They say
despite violence towards animals being a high-risk factor, it’s not well
acknowledged to be taken seriously by police and governments.
But, across the country, many crisis shelters will not allow pets, though state
and territory governments say they offer alternatives if families have to be
split up.
When Sarah went to a police station to report a breach of a domestic violence
order in place, she says she was told that nothing could be done. She reached
out to a mutual contact, who convinced her husband – who was away at the time –
to reveal her dog’s location.
“When he came back he was basically emaciated, and he had burnt paw pads. He
was very poorly looked after,” Sarah says."
Animals are family members, but the law treats them as property.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
