By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –
Cassidy* had reached her breaking point. Her husband refused to pay their bills, but wouldn’t allow her to work. His verbal abuse of Cassidy was relentless, but it affected her eight-year-old son and their little Shih Tzu puppy, Honey Girl*, the most. If the financial abuse could eventually leave them homeless anyway, she would sooner escape with her son and dog and have no place to go than endure another day anxious and afraid.
She had hoped she could carefully plan her escape, but the moment came before she had a plan in place for Honey Girl. Far from the escape she wanted to make with her son, Honey Girl, and their belongings, Cassidy and her son left hurriedly without what they treasured the most. Honey Girl, still very young, small, and vulnerable, had been left behind in the home they fled.
Honey Girl never left Cassidy’s mind, however. As soon as she and her son were safe and settled in the domestic violence shelter, they wanted to know what they could do to rescue Honey Girl and keep her safe too. She was the baby of the family, just like a sibling to Cassidy’s son. Knowing she was safe and well-cared for would be enough, but being able to visit her would make time pass quickly in the shelter until they were reunited.
Fortunately, Cassidy’s advocate helped her find a local boarding facility where they could visit Honey Girl and then applied for a RedRover Relief Safe Escape grant. It hadn’t even been a full 24 hours since she and her son fled, and she was nervous her husband might have hurt Honey Girl in the meantime. She knew her baby dog felt scared and alone either way. But they picked her up from the house without incident. The Safe Escape grant also covered the costs of getting Honey Girl’s vaccinations up to date so she could stay in the boarding facility. Every morning she woke up safe, and she went to sleep fully content on the days that Cassidy and her son came to visit.
The time Cassidy spent with Honey Girl and her son at the boarding facility motivated her to complete her program at the domestic violence shelter and find a new, safe home for her babies. More than anything her son simply wanted to be together again as a family. It wasn’t long before they could finally pick Honey Girl up and move into their new home. When asked what the Safe Escape grant meant to her, Cassidy shared, “It meant I didn’t have to get rid of my puppy. We love her and we missed her. My son asked every day about her and couldn’t wait to find a house so she could come home.”
Your support of RedRover’s domestic violence assistance programs makes a life-changing difference, supporting survivors by protecting their pets and making a better future together possible. Thank you for helping survivors like Cassidy begin a new chapter in their story with the pets they call family!
*Names have been changed to protect privacy
