ORLANDO, Fla. – “I had been able to escape from my abusive husband.”
For Kimmie Winn, those words marked the beginning of a long and difficult journey toward safety. After fleeing an abusive relationship, Winn stayed at a domestic violence shelter, but her Chihuahua, Pixie, couldn’t stay with her.
Instead, Pixie was placed with a foster caregiver who looks after pets belonging to women in shelters.
When Winn was later asked to leave that shelter, she reached out to Harbor House of Central Florida in Orlando, a decision she said changed her life. “I was really glad because I had heard a lot of good things about them,” Winn said. Harbor House’s Paws for Peace Kennel meant she didn’t have to choose between her safety and her dog. Pixie was welcomed, too.
The moment they were reunited is something Winn will never forget. “I cried. I was so excited. I think I cried for like a half an hour at least,” she said. That reunion became more than just an emotional moment, it was the beginning of healing for both of them.
While staying at Harbor House, Winn said having Pixie by her side helped her cope with the trauma she had endured. “Getting to have her with me really helped me because I could focus on trying to help her work through her own PTSD, and it helped me start to calm down and work on my own,” she said. She said the experience was completely different from previous shelters that did not allow pets.
With support from Harbor House staff, Winn also began rebuilding her independence. After 13 years without working, she was able to get a job, something she once thought was impossible. “I didn’t think I could do it. I really didn’t,” she said. Reflecting on her past, Winn shared that she had experienced abuse since childhood and had struggled to break that cycle. “It changed my whole life because I finally got to be free and have my life to myself,” she said.
Winn believes she may not have been able to leave her abuser at all if Pixie couldn’t come with her. “Most shelters won’t take animals, and we don’t want to leave our pets with our abusers because they threaten their lives,” she said. “I wouldn’t leave if I would have had to leave Pixie there, because he would have hurt her.”
Now, Winn said their lives look completely different. Pixie is playful and full of energy again, running around their apartment and greeting Winn with excitement every time she comes home. “She’s so happy now… and I love seeing that come back in her,” Winn said.
For Winn, being able to bring Pixie with her didn’t just provide comfort, it helped her move forward faster. “It really helped,” she said. “Getting to have Pixie with me, I think helped me get further along quicker.”
After everything they’ve been through, Winn and Pixie are no longer just surviving; they’re finally living, side by side.
For information and ways to contact Harbor House of Central Florida, click here or call the 24-hour crisis hotline at (407)886-2856.