When a family is in refuge, they stand to set up a child for recovery. “I think every parent understands that the family pet teaches their children about unconditional love,” says Jukes. Animals love their families with a love that isn’t conditional, and accept their love rather than using it as a weapon of violence or manipulation. Interacting with pets, she says, can also change the children’s perception of love. ![]() This has been especially true since COVID lockdowns, when children developed an increased reliance on their pets for comfort and companionship.” Playing with their pets provides the security of a familiar friend and a welcome distraction. ![]() They’ve had to leave their friends, they can’t see family members, and a lot of the time they’re taken out of school. “Kids who come here often experience incredible disruptions. They might say something like, ‘Cuddles misses his toys’ or ‘Ruffy feels sad when he sees Mum cry.’ ”Īccording to Jukes, pets also play an important role in helping children adjust to their new environment. Sometimes children will talk about their own fears through their pets. “By playing together with their dogs, children’s workers are able to identify concerns and fears, discover the children’s dreams, and help them feel safe and better understand what is happening to them. “Moving to refuge can be a challenging time for kids,” says Barclay. Importantly, “Helping Hervey” became a project that the children’s worker was able to use to help her connect with the children. “If the family has had to move around a lot especially, they may not have a regular vet or have had regular check-ups.” “Even if they aren’t injured, animals that come into refuge may require attention,” says Trish Barclay, Refuge Victoria’s director of services. As soon as they arrive and the family is settled in, animals can be seen by a vet and provided with treatment. Social workers at Refuge Victoria say they treat the protection and support of animals in refuge very seriously. Often, pets are hurt as a means of punishing and controlling the women and children who love them. Sometimes animals cop the brunt of violent outbursts sometimes they are injured defending family members. Many of us say that our pets are like family, and in homes where violence is perpetrated against the family, they are often treated like family, too. It could be as simple as a perpetrator looking at a pet and saying, ‘You’re next.’ They may not have harmed the animal but the message to their partner is clear: ‘You leave, and your pet is not safe.’ ” “And coercive controlling behaviour is often enough to make a woman stay. “Sometimes, the threat is implied,” says Jukes. Sadly, we know that these fears are sometimes realised.” Asking a victim of family violence to leave behind her animal, she says, is almost like asking her to leave behind a family member. “For the simple reason that women often stay in violent homes for fear of leaving their pets in dangerous situations. “We know that allowing pets in refuge saves lives,” says Jukes. Sadly, we know that these fears are sometimes realised.” “Women often stay in violent homes for fear of leaving their pets in dangerous situations. ![]() That night, Amanda grabbed her children and her bird and fled. Amanda managed to convince her partner that she had decided to stay and give the relationship another go, and her partner returned the bird. He immediately took the macaw to a location known only to him, much to the distress of his children. “To these women, the presence of dogs can be distressing, which is why all our refuge units have their own contained yards.”įamilies bring with them dogs, cats, hamsters, fish, reptiles and even giant birds, although for Amanda, getting her macaw into refuge wasn’t easy.Īmanda’s partner discovered texts on her phone revealing she was planning to leave him. “Some of our clients who are new to Australia come from countries where dogs have been used to subdue or intimidate people,” she says.
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