TRENTON — Lawmakers today heard testimony in support of a bill that would allow courts to extend restraining orders to family pets, a provision supported by domestic violence groups, animal rights advocates and law enforcement. “I see this every month,” said Chief Victor Amato of the Monmouth County SPCA, who testified before the Assembly Judiciary Committee. “They actually hold...
A pet dog catches a frisbee in Colonial Park in Somerset in this file photo.TRENTON — Lawmakers today heard testimony in support of a bill that would allow courts to extend restraining orders to family pets, a provision supported by domestic violence groups, animal rights advocates and law enforcement.
“I see this every month,” said Chief Victor Amato of the Monmouth County SPCA, who testified before the Assembly Judiciary Committee. “They actually hold an animal for ransom like a person.”
The bill would allow for a judge to direct the “care, custody, or control of any animal” caught in the crossfire of domestic violence. It would also allow the victim to remove the pet from a dangerous home, and restrict the defendant from contact with the animal.
Nearly three quarters of women with animals at home who enter shelters report that their batterer injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or psychological control, according to the American Humane Association.
Statistics also show that more than a quarter of battered women choose not to escape violent homes because they fear what might happen to a pet.
The bill, co-sponsored by Assemblywomen Connie Wagner (D-Bergen) and Charlotte Vandervalk (R-Bergen), cleared the committee. Similar legislation is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee.