Joan and Willow’s Survivor Story
September 12th, 2023
By Savannah Verdon, Development and Engagement Coordinator II
Joan* was devastated by the news that the man who had subjected her to terrible abuse would be released from jail soon. Worse still, his former cellmate reached out to warn her that he would be looking for her. With few friends or family living nearby that would be able to help, she took what she could and fled the city with her beloved cattle dog, Willow*, to find a safe place for them both.
Willow had been Joan’s only source of love, comfort, and security throughout the abuse. Without Willow, she might not have survived the relationship. Life certainly would not have been worth living without her. Though the domestic violence shelter didn’t accept pets, Joan was relieved to learn that Willow would be boarded for a month at no cost because the police were still actively working on her case. It was a difficult month as they struggled with being apart, despite the times Joan could visit Willow at the boarding facility.
As comforting as it was to see her sweet girl on some days, Joan’s heart broke when she was told that Willow had to be kept away from the other dogs because she was profoundly anxious. It was upsetting to hear, but not surprising. Willow had always been Joan’s fierce and vigilant protector, and she had no way of understanding why Joan would come and go, why they were separated in the first place, or when they would be together again.
On the days she wasn’t able to visit Willow, Joan did her best to feel close to her baby by showing pictures of Willow and proudly sharing that Willow is the only thing that got her through the abuse to anyone who would stop and listen. But holding tightly to those memories, Joan couldn’t shake the thought from her mind that Willow was miserable. With just a few days left of the free month of boarding, Joan herself grew increasingly anxious about Willow going through yet another transition and whether or not she would be able to visit. Of course they would both be happier by each other’s side, but by keeping Willow where she was, Joan could focus on moving closer every day to reuniting.
With the help of a RedRover Relief Safe Escape grant, Joan was able to extend Willow’s stay at the boarding facility until the day they could venture into the next chapter of their lives together. When asked by her advocate what this grant meant to her, Joan began to tear up and said, “Willow is my child and her boarding is more important than my safety and security. I can’t answer this question with the amount of thankfulness that it deserves because I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t have a space for Willow.”
This Safe Escape grant saved two lives, and as we make progress toward 25% of domestic violence shelters becoming pet friendly by 2025, we hope to save many more lives – something we simply couldn’t do without you. Thank you for helping us keep more families like Joan and Willow’s together through crisis!
*Names have been changed to protect privacy
