Youngstown Daily Legal News

Domestic violence association backs bill to include pets in protection orders

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News
Published: March 21, 2014

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network is the latest organization to endorse a bipartisan bill that would include the protection of companion animals in temporary protection orders, domestic violence protection orders, anti-stalking protection orders and related protection orders.

“In the spring of 2010, ODVN’s steering committee on domestic violence and animal abuse conducted a survey of Ohio’s domestic violence programs to access the needs of victims of domestic violence who are concerned about the safety and well being of their pets,” said ODVN Executive Director Nancy Neylon in proponent testimony for House Bill 243.

“The results established a strong connection between the safety of abuse victims and the safety of their animals. Those interviewed said that pets are frequently used by batterers as a tactic of control and abuse over their victims.”

Neylon said reports from domestic violence programs within the state have documented incidents of pets being killed during assaults, pets killed in front of small children, remains of killed pets hung from trees and kept in freezers to intimidate victim’s families, and pets being starved, injured, abandoned or killed.

“Concern for pets is a barrier in seeking safe shelter or leaving the violent situation,” she said.

“Victims and their children across Ohio are traumatized by harm to their pets or having to abandon their pets when fleeing to safety. A history of using pets as an abusive tactic has been connected through research to an increased risk of lethality for the victim and other family members.”

HB 243, sponsored by Reps. Marilyn Slaby, R-Copley, and Michael Stinziano, D-Columbus, permits a court to include within the scope of criminal or civil protection orders any companion animal that is in the residence of the complainant, the alleged victim, the person to be protected, or the petitioner, as applicable, and to issue additional orders for the protection of the companion animal.

“The Ohio Domestic Violence Network is in support of HB 243 because it directly addresses the problem of animal abuse and domestic violence and supports survivors’ need to protect their pets,” Neylon said.

In addition to ODVN, officials from the Animal Cruelty Taskforce of Ohio, the Humane Society of the United States and the Battered Women’s Shelter at the YMCA of Northwest Ohio have offered proponent testimony for the bill before the House Judiciary committee.

If enacted, the bill also would require a court to impose a term of basic probation supervision or intensive probation supervision as an additional sanction for a felony violation of the prohibition against cruelty to a companion animal if the offender is not already undergoing counseling.

HB 243 also would charge a court to require that a minor who is adjudicated a delinquent child for cruelty to a companion animal to undergo psychological evaluation to determine if the child needs individual or family counseling.

The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Nickie Antonio, Peter Beck, Andrew Brenner, Nicholas Celebrezze, Mike Curtin, Teresa Fedor, Ron Gerberry, Cheryl Grossman, Robert Hagan and Michael Henne.

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