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What choices would you make to survive when the system designed to protect you repeatedly fails? Season 3 of Dismissed: True Stories follows one mother's harrowing journey as she flees domestic violence with her children across multiple states for nearly six years.

The nightmare begins with a knife at her throat and a terrifying threat: "He told me he was going to cut my scalp off and said if I screamed, he was going to make sure my kids have nightmares for the rest of their lives." What follows is not just an escape, but a desperate fight for survival that continues long after leaving her abuser. Despite filing "a whole string of police reports from multiple cities, multiple states," safety remains elusive as her ex-partner refuses to give up the pursuit.

This season delves deep into the reality of domestic violence survival—the homelessness, hunger, sleeping on floors, and constant relocation that becomes normalized in the quest for safety. We explore how abuse ripples through generations, with our survivor noting that her mother was "truly my first abuser in life." When backed into a corner with few options left, survivors face impossible choices: "Have you ever considered sex work?" becomes a legitimate question when conventional paths to stability have been exhausted.

Dismissed: True Stories centers the voices that society too often ignores, challenging listeners to witness the full complexity of domestic violence survival. This podcast is created by survivors for survivors, acknowledging that leaving an abuser is often just the beginning of a much longer journey. Subscribe now and join us on October 3rd for a powerful season that refuses to look away from the stories our society too frequently dismisses.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 OR text begin to 88788

Join the Sisterhood! The Survivor Sisterhood

Come join our community of survivors who are looking to meet someone just like you! See the behind the scenes work that goes into the sisterhood non-profit business, discuss DTS episodes, and of course find your survivor sister.

🔗 Follow Along:

• TikTok: @thedvsurvivor
• Instagram: @thedvsurvivorsisterhood

Ready to share your story? Send me an email with the main talking points of your experience and I'll reach out to book an interview.

dismissedtruestories@thesurvivorsisterhood.com

Give DTS a 5 star rating! It helps this podcast reach other victims and survivors who NEED these stories! Help us find each other, help us heal, and help us find safety. Love you, mean it.

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Haley McLean shares the story of Hope's Second Chance, Michigan's only animal sanctuary specifically created to help domestic violence survivors escape with their pets. She built this solution after seeing firsthand how survivors were forced to choose between safety and their animals.

• Founded during COVID when Haley realized shelters couldn't accommodate pets due to liability and space issues
• Pets often face abuse or are used as control mechanisms by abusers, making them overlooked victims
• Provides temporary housing for all kinds of animals while survivors establish safe living situations
• Animals receive veterinary care they've often been denied in abusive homes
• Pets frequently show trauma responses and PTSD symptoms from witnessing abuse
• The sanctuary provides a calm, stable environment with loving care for traumatized animals
• Average stays last about three months while survivors rebuild their lives
• Operates completely through volunteers with no paid staff
• Currently reopening after financial challenges and seeking foster homes
• Survivors consistently demonstrate incredible strength in rebuilding their lives

Visit Hope’s Second Chance to learn more about volunteering, fostering, or donating to help survivors and their pets escape domestic violence together.

Zoom link for Tala’s Q&A: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/U1HL5kOnQnuNw2lFSBwx9A

📣 Helpful Facts

• Nearly 50–70% of abuse survivors delay leaving if they can’t bring pets (Human Resources).
• Studies show up to 90% of abusers threaten or hurt pets as a control tactic (banfieldfoundation.org).

🐾 National & Directory Resources

• Safe Havens for Pets – A searchable national directory run by the Animal Welfare Institute to locate local programs that shelter pets of domestic violence victims (Animal Welfare Institute, Safe Havens for Pets).
• Purina Purple Leash Project & RedRover – Grants and support to equip domestic violence shelters to take in survivors with pets; aims for 25% of U.S. shelters to be pet-friendly by 2025 (

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 OR text begin to 88788

Join the Sisterhood! The Survivor Sisterhood

Come join our community of survivors who are looking to meet someone just like you! See the behind the scenes work that goes into the sisterhood non-profit business, discuss DTS episodes, and of course find your survivor sister.

🔗 Follow Along:

• TikTok: @thedvsurvivor
• Instagram: @thedvsurvivorsisterhood

Ready to share your story? Send me an email with the main talking points of your experience and I'll reach out to book an interview.

dismissedtruestories@thesurvivorsisterhood.com

Give DTS a 5 star rating! It helps this podcast reach other victims and survivors who NEED these stories! Help us find each other, help us heal, and help us find safety. Love you, mean it.

Send us a text

Dignity arrives in unexpected forms—sometimes as a toothbrush, sometimes as a pair of socks, sometimes as a space that says "you're seen and you're not alone." Today, I'm taking you on a journey that's both heartbreaking and hopeful: the creation of Tala's Closet, a free resource center for domestic violence survivors.

Tala Smith was brilliant, brave, and full of promise before domestic violence stole her future. Her mother Connie shared that Tala lived by the motto "see a need, fill a need"—words that crystallized into a vision for creating something meaningful from unimaginable loss. When survivors flee abuse, they often leave everything behind. The practical necessities—hygiene products, clothing, diapers, formula—become overwhelming obstacles to independence. Tala's Closet removes those barriers by providing essentials with no questions asked, no judgment passed.

The powerful synchronicity of timing cannot be overlooked. Days before our grand opening, a domestic violence homicide occurred just streets away from Tala's Closet. This devastating reminder of why our work matters has only strengthened our resolve. We're not just opening a closet; we're creating sacred space where dignity is restored, where survivors know they're believed, and where a community stands ready to help them rebuild. For the woman sleeping in her car tonight, for the mother who left with nothing but her children, for anyone wondering if escape is possible—we're building something different. We're continuing Tala's legacy by seeing needs and filling them, one toothbrush, one clean shirt, one act of compassion at a time. Check the show notes to learn how you can support this mission and help transform lives in your own community.

https://watersedgebuckeyelake.com/talas_closet

Amazon wishlist coming soon!

Looking for ways to give back or help out? Give Waters Edge Community Center a follow on Facebook and send them a message. Their dedicated volunteers will be in touch with you soon. https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1FwvsmLYRk/

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 OR text begin to 88788

Join the Sisterhood! The Survivor Sisterhood

Come join our community of survivors who are looking to meet someone just like you! See the behind the scenes work that goes into the sisterhood non-profit business, discuss DTS episodes, and of course find your survivor sister.

🔗 Follow Along:

• TikTok: @thedvsurvivor
• Instagram: @thedvsurvivorsisterhood

Ready to share your story? Send me an email with the main talking points of your experience and I'll reach out to book an interview.

dismissedtruestories@thesurvivorsisterhood.com

Give DTS a 5 star rating! It helps this podcast reach other victims and survivors who NEED these stories! Help us find each other, help us heal, and help us find safety. Love you, mean it.