You may remember when the internet was abuzz with the story of Amanda Tromp and her husky, Kyro. Amanda had taken in a whole litter of husky pups and gave them all away, except for Kyro, whom she’d grown attached to and had finally adopted.
A victim of domestic violence, Amanda Tromp finally mustered the courage to leave her partner and speak up about the abuse…. after he turned against Kyro. An avid photographer, the young lady started an Instagram account where she shares events from her daily life, and of her four-legged companion – it turns out that as she tried to save her four-legged friend, she was in fact saved by him.
This sort of story is not unusual. In my practice, I once had a patient who finally became aware of her partner’s “latent” violence after the couple had taken in a dog. Seeing the dog being beaten awoke her to the situation. And set her off on a new life… with a new, healthy and balanced relationship.
I also treated a woman who was unable to leave her husband despite the violence he inflicted on her and their children, because she was always held back by the thought: “He’s their father after all.” When he started to abuse the family pet, she was finally able to see the situation and his personality differently, separate from the bonds of family and marriage. Once again, it provoked a new awareness.
These stories are further evidence that animals can play a key, and sometimes life-saving role in our lives in matters of mind control and violence.