Bill seeks $300,000 to aid abuse victims with animals (SF New Mex)

Janet Philippsen of Albuquerque admits she stayed longer than she wanted to with a man who hit her and made her feel “lower than the gutter.” But she couldn’t leave, she says, without her toddler daughter and her four cats. “It wasn’t going to happen.”

Domestic violence shelters care for women and children, but usually not pets. Seven years ago, a group of New Mexico volunteers changed that, working to provide temporary care for pets so that people in abusive relationships could leave more quickly — without leaving their animals behind. In 2014, lawmakers approved $50,000 to help fund the collaborative effort between state services and two organizations, New Mexico Communities Against Domestic Violence and Animal Protection of New Mexico.

Read more here: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legislature/bill-seeks-to-aid-abuse-victims-with-animals/article_4c78de22-bfee-5a4e-8e95-4a581e7dfea4.html