More than 150 people came out to the 3rd Purple Paws: Preble Pets Against Domestic Violence fundraiser event Saturday afternoon to help support the domestic violence shelter and crisis services in Preble County, according to the Director of Marketing and Communications of YWCA Dayton Audrey Starr.
Today also marked the grand opening of the City of Eaton’s new Bark Park, which was opened with a ribbon cutting.
YWCA Dayton, who operates the only domestic violence shelter in both Montgomery and Preble counties, partnered with the City of Eaton to hold this event at the City of Eaton Bark Park located at 701 Park Avenue.
The fundraiser is to help raise funds and awareness for domestic violence services, and 100 percent of the proceeds benefit the Preble County Domestic Violence shelter.
The event included food vendors, Bark Park ribbon cutting and access, Tufts of Fluff pet grooming, canvas paw prints with Preble County Art Association, pet-and-owner caricature artists, Eaton Police Division K9 demonstration, pet parade, and pet showcase.
More than half of domestic violence victims are reluctant to leave their abusers because they’d also be abandoning their pets. Thanks to community partnerships, YWCA Dayton connects women entering their domestic violence shelters with concurrent animal shelters so the whole family can heal.
For more information, visit www.ywcadayton.org/events.
Call the 24/7 Crisis & Domestic Violence Hotline at 937-222-SAFE (7233).