The House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill which would protect pets in domestic violence situations.
The bill would change the Protection from Abuse Act, allowing a judge to order a defendant not to abuse a domestic violence victim’s pet. Representative Christina Sappey says pets are often targets of abuse.
“Frequently when a protection from abuse order is issued, the animal becomes a target and we have some absolutely horrific stories of this type of abuse which, you know, is another form of abuse to the human victims of domestic violence.”
The prime sponsors of the bill cited a study in which 71 percent of domestic violence victims reported their pets were also abused.