Protecting Domestic Violence
Survivors by Protecting Their Pets:
Laws & Other Resources
Nancy Blaney, Senior Policy Advisor, Animal Welfare Institute
Mary Lou Randour, Ph.D., Senior Policy Advisor, Animal Welfare Institute
https://awionline.org/content/animals-family-violence
ANIMAL ABUSE AS PREDICTOR OF
ONSET OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Risk Factors Associated
With Becoming a Batterer:
 ANIMAL ABUSE
 High school dropout
 Fair/poor mental health
 Drug/alcohol abuse
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CO-OCCURRENCE OF ANIMAL
CRUELTY & DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
 71% of battered women report that pets had been
threatened, harmed, or killed by their partners.
 Batterers who also abuse the pet use more forms of
violence and demonstrate greater use of controlling
behaviors than batterers who do not.
 Up to 48% of victims delayed seeking safety out of
concern for pets’ welfare. 65% if the pets had already
been abused.
 85% of domestic violence shelters indicated that
women coming to their facilities spoke of incidents of
pet abuse.
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PETS IN PROTECTION ORDERS
 Twenty-nine states, + D.C. and Puerto Rico, now have laws
that permit listing of pets in protection orders.
 Pets can be included in sections pertaining to property
and/or child custody.
 Conditions bonds also can include pets.
 TPO can authorize law enforcement to assist with removal
of pet from home.
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TWO METHODS TO SPECIFICALLY
INCLUDE PETS IN PROTECTION ORDERS
 The law may include abuse or threatened abuse of an
animal as an “underlying offense,” which can form factual
basis for issuance of order.
 Seven states and the District of Columbia have such
provisions.
 A state’s law may include a “stay away and/or pet
custody” statutory provision specifically authorizing court
to restrain abuser from harming animal as part of
petitioner’s requested relief, and/or granting custody of
the pet to the petitioner.
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WHAT IF MY STATE DOES NOT HAVE
A TRO LAW FOR PETS?
 Even if your state does not have a specific provision, most
state Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) contain
language that gives courts discretion to permit additional
orders. For example, a court can order pets to be included
in a TRO, just as they can provide for the temporary care
of children or possession of property. Bond conditions
also can include pets. And a TRO can authorize law
enforcement to assist with the removal of a pet from a
home.
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REPRESENTING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
SURVIVORS WITH PETS
 Representing Domestic Violence Victims With Pets are state manuals designed
to enable lawyers and advocates to further assist domestic violence survivors
by getting their companion animals included on protection orders. Compiled
by attorneys and law students working with AWI staff, the manuals
summarize legal issues surrounding the inclusion of pets in civil protection
orders, give details about the laws in that specific state, and provide links to
relevant forms and outside resources.
 AWI plans to produce a similar resource for every state to make this critical
information available to attorneys and advocates nationwide.
 Available now:
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Colorado
District of Columbia, Maryland & Virginia
Florida
Maine
Wisconsin
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UP-TO-DATE LISTING OF STATES WITH
PET PROTECTION ORDERS
 For a list of states with laws that include pets in
Temporary Restraining Orders, please go to the
website maintained by the Animal Legal and
Historical Center at Michigan State University
College of Law, "Domestic Violence and Pets: List
of States that Include Pets in Protection Orders.“
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https://www.animallaw.info/filters?topic=25221&species=All&type=statute&country=
All&jurisdiction=All&combine_op=contains&keyword
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PET AND WOMEN SAFETY (PAWS) ACT
(H.R. 1258 and S. 1559)
 Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit threats or acts of violence
against a person's pet under the offenses of stalking and interstate violation
of a protection order. Defines "pet" to mean a domesticated animal that is
kept for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes.
 Requires the "full amount of the victim's losses" for purposes of restitution in
domestic violence and stalking offenses to include any costs incurred for
veterinary services relating to physical care for the victim's pet.
 Directs the Department of Agriculture to award grants to eligible entities to
carry out programs to provide specified housing assistance, support services,
and training of relevant stakeholders to victims of domestic violence, dating
violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their pets.
 Expresses the sense of Congress that states should encourage the inclusion
of protections against violent or threatening acts against the pet of the
person in domestic violence protection orders.
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SAFE HAVENS MAPPING PROJECT
HTTPS://AWIONLINE.ORG/CONTENT/SAFE-HAVENS-MAPPING-PROJECT-PETS-DOMESTICVIOLENCE-VICTIMS
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SAFE HAVENS FOR PETS OF DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE VICTIMS
 The Animal Welfare Institute’s Safe Havens Mapping
Project is an integrated, comprehensive state-by-state
listing of sheltering services for the animals of domestic
violence victims.
 The entities included in the listing, which is subject to
ongoing refinement and updating, either provide
sheltering services for the animals of domestic violence
victims, have a relationship with an entity that does, or
provide referrals to such facilities.
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SAFE HAVENS FOR PETS OF
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS
 1,423 entries in 50 states (includes SAF-T as well
as other types of sheltering)
 Partnering with the National Domestic Violence
Hotline
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Map gets up to 200 visits per month as result of
the Hotline providing a link
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CRISIS AND INTAKE QUESTIONS
 Ask about pets during hotline calls and again during
intake.
 Many domestic violence victims report that they delayed
leaving because they didn’t know how to find safety
for their companion animals.
 When they contact a shelter or other agency, they may
not voluntarily ask for help with their pets if they
assume that no assistance exists.
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CRISIS AND INTAKE QUESTIONS
 Sample Questions:
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Do you have a pet?
Has your abuser ever harmed or threatened to
harm your pet?
Do you need a safe place for your pet?
Do you want to as the court to order your
abuser to stay away from your pet and/or to
award custody of the pet to you?
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THE BOND BETWEEN CHILDREN AND
ANIMALS
 63% of U. S. households have at least
one pet.
 When asked to name the 10 “most
important” individuals in their lives, 7
and 10-year-olds included two pets
on average.
 In another study, 45% of five-yearolds responded “my pet” when asked
to whom they turn when feeling sad,
angry, happy or wanting to share a
secret.
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WITNESSING FAMILY VIOLENCE
 Children exposed to domestic violence suffer more emotional and
behavioral problems, enjoy less social and cognitive competence,
and exhibit more health problems than children not exposed.
 Family violence leaves a genetic imprint on children.
 Shorter telomeres are linked to higher risks of heart disease,
obesity, cognitive decline, mental illness and poor health
outcomes in adults.
 Children exposed to domestic violence more likely to have
committed animal cruelty.
 Children who have been exposed to multiple forms of violence are
more at risk that those exposed to single or isolated events.
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ASKING CHILDREN ABOUT THEIR
RELATIONSHIP WITH ANIMALS
 Have you or your family ever had any pets? What happened to them?
 Do you have a pet or pets now?
 Have you ever lost a pet you really cared about? What happened?
 Has your pet ever been hurt?
 Have you ever felt afraid for your pet or worried about bad things
happening to your pet?
 Has anybody ever tried to make you do something you didn’t want to
do by threatening to hurt your pet? What happened?
 Have you ever seen someone hurt an animal or pet? Tell me what
happened.
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SELECTED REFERENCES
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Ascione, F.R., Weber, C.V., Thompson, T.., Heath, J., Maruyama, M., & Hayashi, K. (2007).Battered
pets and domestic violence: Animal abuse reported by women experiencing intimate violence and
by non-abused women. Violence Against Women, 3, pp. 354-373.
DeGue, S., & DiLillo, D. (2009). Is animal cruelty a “red flag” for family violence? Investigating cooccurring violence toward children, partners, and pets. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24, 10361056.
Febres, J., Brasfield, H., Shorey, R.C., Elmquist, J., Ninnemann, A., Schonbrun, Y.C.., Temple, J.R.,
Recupero P.R., & Stuart, G.L.(2014). Adulthood animal abuse among men arrested for domestic
violence. Violence Against Women, 20(9), 1059-1077.
Flynn, C. P. (2000). Why family professionals can no longer ignore violence toward animals. Family
Relations, 49, 87-95.
Simmons, C.A., & Lehmann, P. (2007). Exploring the link between pet abuse and controlling
behaviors in violent relationships. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22, pp.1211-1222.
Walton-Moss, B.J., Manganello, J., Frye, V., & Campbell, J. (2005). Risk factors for intimate partner
violence and associated injury among urban women. Journal of Community Health, 30(5), pp. 377389.
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