Legislation would allow judges to extend domestic violence protection orders to cover pets Print By Robert Higgs, Northeast Ohio Media Group August 14, 2013 at 11:35 AM, at 2:58 PM Sen. Michael Skindell Ohiosenate.gov COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In domestic violence cases, pets can become targets as abusers try to assert power over their victims. Sen. Michael Skindell, a Lakewood Democrat, has introduced a measure that would make clear that judges can extend protection orders to cover companion animals as a means of helping protect victims. Such protection orders limit the contact an alleged abuser can have with the person seeking protection, ordering the abuser to stay away or allowing the victim safe access if they need to return to a home. In the case of an animal, it would allow victims to take a pet with them if they left home and prohibit the alleged abuser from harming the pet. The legislation is not simply a bill to stop animal abuse, Skindell said. “The issue is that the person who is committing the violence in domestic violence situations will go after an animal to assert their authority.” The legislation was drawn up in consultation with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Twenty-four other states already have similar measures on the books, said Lesley Ashworth, a consultant for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. And research in Ohio that included surveys of domestic violence programs and the victims who use them found large support for pet protection in Ohio. In one study from 2010 that included interviews with 80 percent of Ohio’s domestic violence programs, 79 percent of the respondents said there was a need for such support and protection. “You have to understand the human animal bond. For a lot of people, their dogs are their children,” Ashworth said. “This is a piece that relates to domestic violence. It’s not animal legislation.” As an example, Ashworth noted one case in which a woman who had fled to a domestic violence shelter received pictures from her abuser of their dog’s ears being clipped off with garden shears and a note that the dog would be killed if she didn’t return home. Humans can form strong bonds with their pets, and that can make women hesitant to leave an abusive situation, Ashworth said. “We found that it tends to be a barrier to safety for both the woman and the animal.” Judges do have the ability to cover pets in protection orders, Ashworth said. “We found that judges don’t usually do it because there wasn’t strong legislative support.” Similiar bills have been introduced previously but they did not clear the General Assembly. Skindell’s legislation was introduced this week. A companion bill is expected to be introduced in the House, perhaps as soon as today. That legislation is to be sponsored by Reps. Michael Stinziano, a Columbus Democrat, and Marilyn Slaby, a Republican from Copley.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 03:15:19 +0000
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