Shelter
Our Pets, Inc., P.O. Box 564, Montvale, NJ 07645, ShelterOurPets.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
LYNN GREGORSKI
973-506-9696
Shelter Our Pets
Nonprofit Seeks Artisan Vendors and Sponsors for
Upcoming Holiday Bazaar
and Craft Fair
September
16, 2013 - Shelter Our Pets, a New Jersey nonprofit whose
mission is to provide a safe haven
for the pets of victims of domestic violence who are fleeing their abusive
situations, will be hosting a Holiday Bazaar and Craft
Fair on Saturday, November 16th, featuring local artisans with unique, one-of-a-kind wares, including jewelry,
accessories, and home
decor. The event, hosted in conjunction
with GFWC Paskack Junior Woman's Club, will take place at the
Tice’s Senior Center in Woodcliff
Lake, New Jersey from 10am to 4pm.
The event will also feature a 50/50 raffle. Tickets will
be for sale at the event and will be sold in advance for $10/each. Persons need not be
present to win.
Shelter Our Pets is currently accepting artisans and
sponsors for the event. The vendor
table fee is $75 and sponsorships are
$150. Participating artisans
include Sequin Garden Jewels, My Heart Works, and RMN Handmade Brushes.
Shelter Our Pets Holiday Bazaar is sponsored by D’s
Grooming Shop in Hillsdale, New Jersey.
For more information, please visit ShelterOurPets.org or
email
fundraising@shelterourpets.org.
ABOUT
SHELTER OUR PETS:
Shelter Our Pets is an all-volunteer
nonprofit corporation. Our mission is to provide a safe haven for the pets of
victims of domestic violence who are fleeing their abusive situations. Shelter
Our Pets assists people seeking safety from violence by providing alternatives
to giving up a beloved pet, leaving a pet behind in a potentially dangerous
situation or continuing to subject themselves and their pets to abuse. Shelter Our Pets, Inc. provides
temporary shelter, medical care, and behavioral rehabilitation for the animals
of domestic abuse victims.
“The decision to leave a batterer is
extremely difficult, and a number of factors come in to play. The need to leave
a beloved pet behind only complicates an already emotional decision,” said Lynn
Gregorski-Bosi, a founder of Shelter Our
Pets. “Many domestic violence shelters cannot provide shelter for a family
pet, as well as the victim.
It is for this reason we founded the organization and created the SOP
Foster Sponsorship Program.”
The funds will be applied specifically
to costs of temporary boarding, medical care, food and supplies for the pets of
domestic violence victims participating in our program. Your donation gives
survivors an alternative to surrendering their pets or remaining in a
potentially dangerous situation.
“The Humane Society of the United
States applauds Shelter our Pets for protecting all victims of domestic
violence by allowing the victims to leave an abusive situation knowing their
pets are in a safe place.” said Kathleen Schatzmann, New Jersey state director
for The Humane Society of the United States.
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Shelter
Our Pets, Inc., P.O. Box 564, Montvale, NJ 07645, ShelterOurPets.org
BACKGROUNDER
Domestic violence and animal abuse are
not mutually exclusive according to the American Humane Association. In fact, one becomes fodder for the
other. For example, 71 % of pet-owning women entering shelters reported that
their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for
revenge or to psychologically control victims; 32% reported their children had
hurt or killed animals in response to abuse situations.
Psychological control is often the
motive of a batterer, and pets can be used very effectively. Statistics from
the American Humane Association show
68% of battered women reported violence towards their animals, with 87% of
these incidents occurring in the presence of the victim and 75% in the presence
of the children.
Between 25% and 40% of battered women
are unable to escape abusive situations because they worry about what will
happen to their pets or livestock should they leave. Further, the Association found, pets may suffer
unexplained injuries, health problems, permanent disabilities at the hands of
abusers, or disappear from home.
According to Shelter Our Pets founding member Laura Mann, Esq., "In the
short term we want abuse victims to know we will be there to take care of the
animals; over the long-term, we hope to be able to offer a facility where
the survivors and their pets can remain together safely, while they break
free from their lives of abuse. We seek to fill the gap in addressing this
unmet need of survivors to hopefully play a small role in breaking the cycle of
abuse and the torture of animals that also endure the cruelty of these
abusers."
Investigation of animal abuse is often
the first point of social services intervention for a family in trouble.
Beatriz Wawra, Director of Crisis
Services at Shelter Our Sisters,
which provides aid and shelter to abused women, added, “Shelter Our Pets is a much needed service that will benefit victims
of domestic violence. We have had calls, wherein the caller wants to know if it
is considered domestic violence when a partner is hurting a family pet after an
argument. My answer is ‘yes’. This
behavior can escalate to a more dangerous situation for the victim.”
In 2011, the NJ legislators passed a
bill that permits the court to include animals in domestic violence restraining
orders. NJ Senator Thomas
Kean Jr. said, “While the new law provides legal shelter for the victims of
domestic abuse and their pets, this new volunteer service will provide actual
shelter for these animals, thus ensuring that domestic abuse victims no longer
have to choose between leaving their home for safety and protecting their
beloved pets. I am so pleased that Shelter Our Pets has recognized the
void that existed in this area, and has worked toward providing a much-needed
resource in the effort to protect victims of domestic abuse. “
NJ Assemblywoman, Connie Wagner, who
co-sponsored the bill in the Assembly said, “The public has become far more
aware of the horrors some pets face at the hands of abusive spouses and
partners. I applaud the work of Shelter Our Pets and other organizations
as they provide services for at-risk pets that are being protected under the
new law.”
For information or assistance in
sheltering pets, please contact, Lynn Gregorski-Bosi at 973-506-9696.
ABOUT SHELTER OUR PETS
Shelter Our Pets is an all-volunteer
nonprofit corporation. Our mission is to provide a safe haven for the pets of
victims of domestic violence who are fleeing their abusive situations. Shelter
Our Pets assists people seeking safety from violence by providing alternatives
to giving up a beloved pet, leaving a pet behind in a potentially dangerous
situation or continuing to subject themselves and their pets to abuse. Shelter Our Pets, Inc. provides
temporary shelter, medical care, and behavioral rehabilitation for the animals
of domestic abuse victims.
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