I was once in a relationship that I thought would bring what I wanted, love, marriage and
a little family of my own. However, it’s not at all what I expected. This relationship was
the most toxic experience I have ever been able to handle on my own. Days, months
and years went by. Issues continued to escalate and one day I had this really heavy gut
feeling that told me to hide this small shot gun he had recently purchased. I had no idea
if it was loaded or not. I hid it deep in the closet, behind my boots. That very night, we
got into a really heated argument. Guess what he was looking for? He was yelling at
me, “Where did you hide my gun?!” He never found it. 

To remove myself from the situation and let things cool down, I called a friend and packed a little night bag to stay at her house for the night. The problem was that she had large dogs and I had 2 small dogs. She was afraid that the dogs wouldn’t get along, so she recommended that I just come without them to let things settle. As he watched me pack, he said to me, “You better take your dogs with you, or I’ll shoot them dead.” That was a threat that I took very seriously. I stayed in the same house with this hateful man and slept in the guest room with my dogs and the door locked. I hid a kitchen knife under the mattress that night, but I never slept. Why didn’t I call the police that night? 

I almost did. I was thinking of his child, who he had majority custody of. He was everything to them. I was torn. After that incident, I struggled almost every day to be positive. I lost my job because my will to do my best was gone. I even contemplated suicide a few times. Only because I felt stuck in my head and into a deep hole that I thought I couldn’t get out of. I felt an immense amount of guilt from the thought of bringing anyone in my life into this mess that I got myself in. I never wanted my parents to worry about me either, so I stayed quiet. It wasn’t until my sister and my cousin jumped to help me move into a room that I found on craig’s list for rent near my new job that paid pennies at the time. That was all I could afford at the time. We packed 3 sedans while he was away, getting drunk at the bar he was a frequent patreon at. 

I was desperate and I was so scared but I was also so angry. I was angry enough to take my life back and leave him in his own darkness. As my friends would say, “Vaya con Dios.”

At Love, Nu’Liro Mist, we believe that no one should have to choose between safety
and the love of their pet(s). Our mission is to provide compassionate shelter and
support from our local community to protect pets caught in the crossfire of domestic
violence – offering a safe haven while their families seek freedom and healing. We exist
to protect the bond between survivor and animals, ensuring that even in the mist of
uncertainty, love and new freedom can begin.