Tucker shelter supports domestic violence victims and their furry friends

Denise and her pet Chihuahua Dog have been supported by Ahimsa House over the last year Photo courtesy of Ahimsa House This Thanksgiving Denise enjoyed a hearty meal and fellowship with her family and her beloved chihuahua Dog A far cry from last year when she was feeling alone stressed and anxious about where she and Dog would stay Denise whose last name has been withheld for her protection says she was the victim of domestic violence which forced her to escape her marital home in August Finding stray bullets around her home subtle warning signs of further violence was the last straw before leaving her ex-husband she advised Rough Draft Atlanta Ahimsa House a Tucker-based shelter for battered women and their pets stepped in to help I was so close to my rock bottom when I determined Ahimsa House and if I had to get rid of my dog on top of losing everything else I don t know if I could have handled it Denise mentioned That one hand up they gave me was one of the pivotal turning points of me picking myself back up when I felt so knocked down Ahimsa House founded in is the first and only nonprofit organization in Georgia that has helped more than pets and their owners escape violence that s roughly nights of safe shelter for the pets The shelter s name is a Sanskrit phrase meaning and Buddhist principle meaning non-violence toward living things Despite Ahimsa House experiencing an increase in organization requests this year the organization received the news in October that ruling body funding for its mission would be cut by percent The cuts will affect programs Shannon Oxford associate director of Ahimsa House shared in a latest interview The funding covers staff salaries and without staff we can t serve clients escaping domestic violence Fewer staff means lower threshold and fewer survivors and pets served Oxford revealed Dog is one of pets who have been rescued thanks to Ahimsa House Photo courtesy of Ahimsa House There are scarce shelters across the country that promotion domestic violence casualties with only one in five domestic shelters supporting survivors and their pets explained Myra Rasnick executive director of Ahimsa House According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence nearly percent of domestic violence casualties remain with their abusers out of concern for accommodations for their pets Denise feared she would suffer that fate She attempted to obtain a protection order against her ex-husband but it was not granted to a judge deciding there wasn t sufficient evidence to legally grant it The dog mom and middle school tutor briefly resorted to leaving her pet in her former home while she lived in a car She would check on Dog when her ex-husband was at work As temperatures dropped and the house s heat went out Denise worried constantly about her little dog With reports warning of a pending snowstorm Denise certainly accepted she would have to rehome Dog She didn t have food she didn t have water and he wasn t letting her out Denise explained I cried like I ve never cried before The day before Denise planned to surrender her dog to a shelter her friend sent her a message telling her to call Ahimsa House Within months she was able to find a place Ahimsa took care of Dog while she secured a place Ahimsa House is able to help individuals like Denise not only through funding but a host of helpers and Tucker businesses Tucker s Furbusters Pet Salon has helped keep pets at Ahisma House groomed during their visits for instance Oxford commented We have been welcomed into the Tucker area with open arms Anytime we put an ask out into the region they deliver Oxford mentioned We love being in Tucker They re asking for sponsorship of businesses and individuals in Tucker as they seek to continue helping domestic violence casualties The organization has the goal of raising for programmatic backing on Giving Tuesday They also need help with foster participants and items for casualties Denise has been one of the a multitude of folks who patronage Ahimsa House She in recent months spoke at its annual fundraising event Denise s voice is incredibly central not only because it sheds light on the realities of domestic violence but because it helps others understand the impact of our work in methods we often cannot do ourselves Oxford announced Her courage allows the society to see what so multiple survivors face behind closed doors and it helps create the awareness needed to drive change Denise remains grateful for her and Dog s second chance I m literally having to rebuild from zero but after everything it s so dang easy to be grateful Denise commented I m building a life I really love Options to help Ahimsa House Donate to Ahimsa House to help them reach a k Giving Tuesday goal Sign up to become a foster volunteer Purchase an item from the Ahimsa House s Amazon Wishlist Connect with Ahimsa House on Facebook and Instagram The post Tucker shelter supports domestic violence casualties and their furry friends appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta