Crisis Center North's PAWS for Empowerment program welcome you and your pet to participate in the "Paws Against Domestic Violence" Pet Walk event! Let's go for a walk/run! Grab your tennis shoes and a pet, and join us at North Park for a walk on October 8th from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness month! We will have a variety of pet and non-pet related vendors as well as a pet costume contest with prizes! There will be a K9 Police Dog demonstration, behavioral training group sessions, and a pet psychic!

The mission of Crisis Center North is to empower victims of domestic violence and cultivate attitudes and community behaviors that break the cycle of violence. Crisis Center North is a 501(c)(3) non-profit counseling and resource center that provides services to victims of domestic violence and their loved ones in northern and western Allegheny County via counseling, therapy, case management, legal and medical advocacy, and economic empowerment services. In addition, the Center provides community trainings on topics related to intimate partner violence and teen dating violence, as well as prevention education programming to local schools.

100% of the proceeds from this event will go directly to the PAWS program.

The PAWS program has evolved into a highly successful service offering four distinct components, including:

assisting and providing emotional support and comfort to victims during trauma-informed counseling/therapy services (i.e., animal assisted therapy);accompanying domestic violence (DV) victims in Allegheny County courtrooms to help them face their perpetrators during Protection From Abuse (PFA) hearings and help find legal recourse;an educational component for local veterinarians and animal service providers designed to address the intersection between animal abuse and IPV; and,emergency animal care stipends for pets of families impacted by DV.