Harbor House of Central Florida opens ‘Paws for Peace Kennel’

Those seeking refuge at the Harbor House of Central Florida in Orange County will be able to take their pets with them.

A grand opening ceremony for the new “Paws for Peace Kennel” was held Thursday.

WFTV found statistics showing many victims of domestic violence don’t want to leave their situation for fear their pets will be hurt.

Nearly half of all women who survive an abusive relationship delayed leaving, because they would have to leave their dog or cat, and 80 percent had their pet injured or killed by an abuser many times in front of their children.

Mayor Teresa Jacobs said, “Years ago, I had a co-worker who needed to leave a relationship. It took a long time for her to confide in anyone what was going on. She would come to work clearly beaten up. It was very difficult to get her to talk to anyone, and then she had kids and she had a cat,” said Jacobs.

Also on Thursday, a new storage facility opened to house donations.

The half-million-dollar kennel and donation facilities are being paid for by community donations.

The Harbor House is the only shelter in the state with a certified daycare and pet kennel.

The kennel will serve as a national model for other domestic violence shelters.

http://www.harborhousefl.com/get-involved/pawsforpeacekennel/