Ardmore animal shelter offers haven from abuse

CARRIE COPPERNOLL Comments 3
Published: September 7, 2009

For some women, the difference between freedom and staying in an abusive relationship is their animals. But one Oklahoma animal shelter is giving women another option.

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"It's very common that if you are an abuser you have abused animals. A lot of times with abuse, that is a way to threaten a person is to threaten the animal."
Kim Lee
Ardmore Animal Care Executive Director

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Ardmore Animal Care provides temporary shelter to the pets of abused women, Executive Director Kim Lee said.

"It’s very common that if you are an abuser you have abused animals,” Lee said. "A lot of times with abuse, that is a way to threaten a person is to threaten the animal.”

Lee founded the program at Ardmore Animal Care nine years ago after collaborating with a friend at a local battered women’s shelter.

The program is a quiet part of the work done at Ardmore Animal Care, Lee said. Several community agencies, such as the temporary shelters and the Department of Human Services, refer women to the program. Lee said she’s heard from advocates and social workers of women who refuse to leave an abusive situation because they are afraid of what will happen to their pets.

Animals don’t come to the shelter often because of the program, but each case is important for volunteers and staff, Lee said. The most rewarding part is when women return to pick up their pets.

"It is usually very emotional,” she said, "very heartfelt, and there are usually tears of joy from the pet guardian and all of our staff.”

In most communities, women escaping an abusive relationship don’t have an option for their animals. Lee said she doesn’t know of another program in Oklahoma.

Foster program

The Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had a similar program a few years ago but had to give it up, Operations Director D’Ann Berson said.

The agency didn’t have enough foster homes to keep the displaced dogs and cats.

"It’s always last-minute,” she said, "and we have not had real good luck finding readily available foster people who are willing to take on dogs for awhile. ... That is a very much needed program.”

Berson said she hopes to revive the foster program for battered women if enough volunteers sign up to help.

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Related Topics: Culture and Lifestyle, Relationships, Crime, Pets, Special Interest Groups, Animal Rights, Domestic Violence

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Sharon, if you'll do a tiny bit of research you'll find that men are very often (nearly equal as women) the victim in an abusive relationship. This is especially true when emotional abuse is counted.
This is not the venue to educate but let me assure you that you could do with a bit more understanding of the problem instead of resorting to the mantra that since more women are abused the abuse of men doesn't matter.

Phil, Yukon - Sep 8, 2009 at 7:58 am

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Because most of the time, the abuser is the man and the abused is the woman. The abusive man is a bully, who abuses someone or something smaller and weaker than himself.
If you are being abused in your own home, physically make your (wife)?leave the house. Any man that is overpowered by a woman is not much of a man. Get some balls.

Sharon, Oklahoma City - Sep 7, 2009 at 9:35 am

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Why do people continue with innuendo like this as if only women get abused in relationships? Today the common thought is "men = abusers; women = victims" and it is wholly incorrect.
It is interesting to note that Mizz Lee states: "In most communities, women escaping an abusive relationship don’t have an option for their animals.", while at the same time men escaping an abusive relationship don't have any options at all, especially not a law specifically covering his situation nor shelters devoted to him and others of his sex; none for himself, his children nor his pets.
Yet here is it once again presenting bigotry as if it were commendable.

Phil, Yukon - Sep 7, 2009 at 7:52 am

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