Ruthless Kindness reunites domestic violence victims and their pets, among other services. But its Department of Justice grant runs out this year.

The woman on the phone was desperate.

After being physically abused by her partner, she took her children and fled.

But this victim didn’t have the time to gather her two dogs, who had been kicked and harmed.

“We got a call saying, ‘Can you figure out how to get these pets from the abuser?’” recalled Dr. Sarah Reidenbach, a Sebastopol-based veterinarian and cofounder of Ruthless Kindness, a nonprofit specializing in providing “urgent and immediate” support to people and their pets in moments of crisis.

In this case, Reidenbach recalled, the woman was “hysterical, saying ‘Get my pets, get my pets, I’m not doing anything ‘til you get my pets, ‘cause he hurt them!’

“She was refusing services because she was terrified what was happening to her dogs, so we just removed that barrier.”

Working with local police, Ruthless Kindness arranged a “civil standby,” allowing the victim to safely enter the premises and get the dogs herself.

Its assistance had just begun. Because there are no pet-friendly safe houses in Sonoma County, lodging had to be found for the dogs. Ruthless Kindness lined up short-term boarding for the animals, then arranged longer-term fostering for them — all the while setting up confidential visits for family members.

Months later, the woman and her children moved into an apartment and were reunited with the dogs.

Seeking local sponsors

It’s all in a day’s work for Ruthless Kindness, founded in 2017 by Reidenbach and her partner, veterinarian Dr. Kate Kuzminski. Along with their crack team of volunteers, they also conduct regular, free veterinary clinics, among other services. Pets are examined and treated in a retrofitted ambulance and mobile medical unit known as “Clifford the Big Red Bus.”

“We started out thinking this was going to be a niche program,” said Reidenbach. “As it turns out, one of four women are victims of domestic violence, and 70% of them have pets.”

Studies have shown, however, that nearly half of domestic violence victims won’t leave their abuser if they have to leave a pet behind.

“So the need is massive,” she said.

As its workload ramps up, Ruthless Kindness faces a concerning decrease in funding. A Department of Justice grant that helped sustain it for years runs out at the end of 2024.

Ruthless Kindness also is supported by a charities grant from the chain store, PetSmart.

While the nonprofit has landed grants from national organizations, said Reidenbach, it’s searching for local sponsors.

“Local community organizations will say, ‘Well, are you an animal organization, or a human organization?” she said.

“We’re both — that’s the entire point. But I don’t know if people are ready to get that yet. We’re not traditional.”

Office at Family Justice Center

Two years ago, Ruthless Kindness opened an office at the Family Justice Center, a division of the District Attorney’s Office, alongside providers like Catholic Charities, Sonoma County Job Link and Verity, which serves survivors of sexual assault.

The nexus turned out to be natural fit.

Case managers and victim advocates from various human service providers “are reaching out to us, saying, ‘I’ve got this client, this is the situation. Can you help?’” said Reidenbach.

What often happens, said Reidenbach, is that a victim will be admitted to a safe house and show up with their dog, only to be informed the animal can’t come in.

“The phone call we get is, ‘The safe house won’t let me in with my dog, so I’m sleeping in my car tonight.’ Can you help?’”

While victims love their pets, noted Reidenbach, those animals often create a barrier for them, making it harder to get the victims to safety.

Removing that barrier, said Rebecca Fein, executive director at Verity, “makes so much sense, and is critically important to the work we’re doing.”

In November, Verity bestowed its Community Impact Award on Ruthless Kindness, whose team, said Fein, is “collaborative, kind and lovely to work with.”

At veterinary clinics hosted by Ruthless Kindness, Kuzminski and Reidenbach treat a range of issues.

“Sometimes it’s as simple as a vaccine,” said Reidenbach, “and sometimes it’s something more serious that a client can’t afford, like an ear infection or a wound. The main thing is to remove these barriers so someone trying to get into a safe house or shelter isn’t blocked.“

They recently held at a clinic at The Living Room in Santa Rosa, which serves women and their children experiencing homelessness, or who are at risk of becoming homeless. While the clinic started at 10 a.m., a line had formed at least an hour earlier.

Among those waiting was Dawn Anderson, pulling a wagon bearing Lisa — short for Mona Lisa — an elderly Chihuahua mix who’s been with her through thick and thin.

“I’ve had her 14 years, and she was homeless with me,” said Anderson, who’s been clean and sober for the past eight years.

“Now I have a home, and I’m doing everything I can to make her life enjoyable, in her final years.

Sometimes, Anderson takes Lisa to her regular vet. “But by the time I get out of there it’s $300. I can’t afford that.”

Treating people with respect

Standing closer to Clifford the Big Red Van was Kathy, who held a cat carrier containing the prodigal Bentley, recently reunited with his owner after he’d gone missing for 9 months.

Kathy has been living in her car while she waits for an apartment to open up. “It’s a long waiting list,” she said. One day, Bentley failed to return from one his daily excursions.

A woman had taken the cat in, thinking him feral. That woman took Bentley to a vet, where the cat’s microchip was scanned. “Someone’s been looking for this cat,” she was told.

Kathy’s eyes teared up as she expressed gratitude to Ruthless Kindness.

“There’s no way I could afford a veterinarian,” she said. She also appreciated “how compassionate they are, how they treat people with respect.”

At a donation table under the Ruthless Kindness pop-up tent, clients were handed bags of pet food, pet beds and leashes.

Two dozen clients had appointments that day . Many more than that showed up, seeking help for their pets.

“Obviously, we need to expand,” said Reidenbach.

That’s going to be tough, considering the fiscal uncertainty facing Ruthless Kindness.

The unpredictability is “a little bit terrifying,” said Reidenbach.

“Unlike other victims services, we’re a private nonprofit. We don’t get any money from the county. We’re just completely reliant on our community.

“This is such a strong, local program, and we need it so badly.

“We just want to keep it going.”

Original Source: Austin Murphy, The Press Democrat. Click here to view original post. 

NON-FATAL strangulation could become a standalone offence before the end of 2025, the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs has pledged. Deputy Mary Le Hegarat confirmed that she has directed officers to work on the law-drafting instructions for the development of this offence, and that “work is under way”.

This comes after a restaurateur was last week convicted of a list of violent offences against two women following a nine-day trial earlier this year.

At his sentencing hearing on Friday, Gavin Roberts (45) was described as a repeat offender who regularly got drunk and grabbed women around the neck.

One of the survivors of his abuse, Suzannah Mahe (29), had said she wanted to see a law comparable to the one in England and Wales to be introduced in Jersey.

She said she was “so happy” that the law would come into place “before it is too late and Jersey has a death as a result of non-fatal strangulation” – but asked for more education and emergency medical measures to be put in place.

She said: “In my own case, I did not realise the danger until I met and was educated by [forensic medical examiner] Dr Deryn Evans, who informed me I am as risk of having a stroke up to one year later.

“As a result of this and my GP arranged a CT scan. This should be done at the very beginning when this is reported. I spoke out about my symptoms and was left on long waiting lists, and even to this day little is known about non-fatal strangulation.”

She added that she hoped more could be learnt about the effects of non-fatal strangulation.

She said: “This is not just an on-the-spot crime but something that is life-changing for a victim. More understanding for hospital, police and government employees is a must, so they can be aware of the signs and help reduce stress and anxiety for survivors so they do not feel alone or in my case ‘against the system’.”

She added: “I am in support of any change that benefits and protects victims and survivors. Past, present or future.”

The Home Affairs Minister confirmed that new legislation to introduce a standalone offence for non-fatal strangulation would be lodged with the Council of Ministers by December 2025 at the latest.

In a statement, Deputy Hegarat said: “It is important to note that while the act of non-fatal strangulation is not yet a standalone offence in Jersey, it can be, and is already, prosecuted locally under the customary offences of grave and criminal assault or common assault.

“I recognise that the act of non-fatal strangulation is extremely serious and can cause severe and long-lasting impacts for victims, including a significantly heightened risk of stroke.

“In the context of domestic abuse, the act of non-fatal strangulation is one of the strongest high-risk markers on the domestic homicide timeline, increasing the risk of homicide by eight times.

“This is because perpetrators who use strangulation are more dangerous.”

She continued: “Following on from my acceptance of the [Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce’s] recommendation to introduce a standalone offence of non-fatal strangulation, I have directed officers to work on the law-drafting instructions for the development of such an offence and this work is under way.

“The process of developing new legislation is complex and takes time as it is important to ensure that the relevant parties are adequately consulted and that the legislation we introduce serves its intended function.”

Deputy Le Hegarat added that, in addition to developing the law around non-fatal strangulation, officers are also working to support the development of a self-referral pathway for victims of non-fatal strangulation, and introduce training on recognising and responding to victims of non-fatal strangulation for health practitioners, police, and safeguarding leads within schools.

Original Source: Megan Davies. Jersey Evening Post. Click here to view original post. 

A Tarrant County jury convicted 36-year-old Timothy Earl Darrough Jr. of North Richland Hills of assault by impeding breath with a prior conviction, sentencing him to 16 years in prison. The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office announced the verdict and sentencing.

The case began on December 2, 2023, when a woman reported that Darrough had assaulted her multiple times over three years, including at least four instances of strangulation. Darrough had a prior family violence conviction for assaulting a pregnant person in Collin County after an arrest in 2021 by McKinney Police and Collin County deputies.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Riley Reynolds and Neal Maranto, with DA Investigator Jim Desmarais and Victim Coordinator Elizabeth Garcia supporting the case.

Original Source: IrvingWeekly. Click here to view original post.

Disturbing findings surrounding the number of people, women in particular, who experience sexual choking have brought about the need for a deeper understanding in the medical profession and in communities.

Sexual choking, also known as breath play, strangulation of erotic asphyxiation, does the same thing as violent, forced choking – stopping the blood from delivering oxygen to the brain.

Scarleteen reports, “A recent study in Australia found that out of 4,702 individuals 18 to 35 years old, of all genders, a total of 57% reported being sexually strangled.”

Emma Siegel, the Manager at Lismore Women’s Health & Resource Centre (LWHRC) talks about the recent increase in frequency and the concern it is causing for women’s health.

“Women’s Health New South Wales, have been running a project with all the women’s health centres across New South Wales, and they’ve developed this amazing resource. It’s called, “It left no marks.”

The LWHRC facility has just had all staff trained in speaking to women who have experienced choking or choose sexual strangulation as part of their lifestyle.

“Our staff are trained to support women with assessment and accessing services. We can also support them to access information so that they can make informed decisions about their own health.

“Whether that’s continuing to engage in consensual sexual choking, or whether it was something they experienced in the context of violence, our staff are supporting both groups.

“The main health message is that we want people to know that it’s a high risk sexual practice. There is a misbelief that it is harmless and that everyone’s doing it when that’s not the case.

“In fact, there have been studies to show that among men who choked their partners during sex, even the ones who knew that there were potential risks, didn’t know how to respond if their partner lost consciousness, or was having some kind of medical need during the act.”

As with anything involving risk, it is best to consider the consequences before they catch you short.

“If it’s something that you do want to continue engaging in, make sure that it is being enacted with enthusiastic consent by both parties and that all your boundaries are communicated, and that your partner knows how to access help when it’s necessary.”

Emma speaks of the “popularity” of the act, and the assumption that it’s a desired practise, when often it isn’t. Often there is a perception of normalcy or for heightened pleasure. Communicating what is important to each other is vital to understanding if it really is the right thing for a couple.

If, after any sort of choking, you feel any of these new or evolving neurological signs, it is an indication that a possible brain injury has occured:

• feeling slow or foggy,
• difficulty processing information,
• memory problems,
• changes in Mood or sleep,
• muscle fatigue or limb weakness,
• bowel disturbance,
• severe headaches or migraines,
• changes in vision or sight.

“Brain injury can have serious and long term impacts on that woman’s functioning, especially if she’s not provided with the support that she needs in the time after the incident. It is best to seek help within seven days of the event.

“In research where people, young people, were asked to do cognitive tests, those that had engaged in sexual choking four times in the last six months, could get the same results in the same time as young people who hadn’t engaged in sexual choking. But the difference is that different parts of their brain lit up.

“This suggests that the brain is actually recruiting different pathways to do the same job, which would suggest that there was some damage to the original pathways. So we know that this experience is changing young people’s brains.

“The other thing is that, due to the pressure being applied around the arteries in the throat, it can actually increase people’s risk of stroke up to 10 days after the event. The highest risk being the first four days.

“If people are choosing to continue to engage in sexual choking, the recommendation is to try and leave at least four days between different acts. That gives your brain and your body time to recover from any physical damage.”

Strangulation in the context of intimate partner violence, is an extremely serious situation, “It is a significant risk factor for escalating violence, and it increases the chance that a woman will die.

“Those women are also potentially experiencing other forms of violence, like blows to the head, which would also have impacts on the brain.

“Strangulation has been legislated as a criminal offence. So it is something that people can be charged with.

“It’s generally accepted that you cannot consent to harm on your own body. So even if, if somebody dies in the act of consensual sexual choking, there still are avenues for the person who has been choking to be charged with a criminal offence.

“Also consider, if a woman died as a result of stroke following an experience of strangulation, it wouldn’t always be connected, because in up to 50% of cases where women have experienced strangulation, they don’t have any external or visible signs of the assault. So if there’s no background history to suggest that that woman was a victim of violence, it may not be picked up.”

If you find yourself inadvertently the victim of strangulation, or are concerned about the effects after a choking event, you can immediately report to an Emergency Department at a hospital or call or visit LWHRC or NORWACS.

“We can provide case management support. We can support that woman to access appropriate referrals. If she does want to get medical services or healthcare services, we can support her to check her brain health.

“Some women might be more in interested in learning strategies to manage some of the symptoms, so around executive functioning or memory. They might want to see an OT or a neuropsychologist to work through some of those daily living skills that they have been struggling with.

“These kind of brain injuries don’t always show up on scans, we don’t have the technology. And it can be invalidating for women if they don’t have that proof.”

Original Source: Lara Leahy, Lismore App. Click here to view original post. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – A woman arrested on charges of strangulation and child abuse appeared in court on Tuesday for her arraignment.

According to the Fayette County Detention Center, 31-year-old Sandra Skidmore was arrested on Sunday for alleged child abuse, assault, and strangulation.

Officials say her child called 9-1-1 alleging their mother had hit them and they were scared.

According to her arrest citation, Skidmore impeded her child from breathing by dragging them by the back of their t-shirt around the house.

Police say Skidmore also caused physical injury to her child’s lower back by hitting them several times, leaving a red mark and scratch.

During court, Skidmore was asked to pay 10% of her bond, and have no contact with her kids.

She’ll be back in court on September 12th at 8:30 a.m.

Original Source: WTVQ News Desk. Click here to view original post