Pennsylvania Senate passes bill to protect pets of domestic violence survivors

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pennsylvania lawmakers are taking new steps to protect the pets of domestic violence survivors.

Right now, Pennsylvania is one of only a few states that doesn’t allow animals to be included in protection from abuse orders, but a bill to change that passed the state Senate on Wednesday.

Advocates told KDKA-TV that this legislation could help human and animal victims of domestic violence break free from dangerous situations. 

Leaving an abusive relationship is difficult for a lot of reasons. For many victims, it’s fear of their pets’ safety.

“There’s a lot of statistics out there. One of them that really has resonated with me is that 71% of battered women have reported that their abusers had either harmed, killed or threatened their animals as a way to control them,” said Natalie Ahwesh, executive director of Humane Action Pittsburgh.

HB 1210 explicitly allows animals to be included in protection from abuse orders. The bill passed the state Senate by a vote of 47 to 1. It now heads to Governor Josh Shapiro’s desk for a signature. The bill previously passed the state House in 2023.

If the governor signs the bill into law, it will help ensure domestic violence survivors can escape their abusers with their four-legged best friend by their side and have the power to keep their pets safe as they seek protection.

“While this is a bill that’s going to make such a huge difference for animals, it’s really also going to make a huge difference for people out there that are experiencing violence. They are not going to have to choose between leaving their pets behind or finding safety for themselves and their companions,” Ahwesh said.

Republican Rep. Natalie Mihalek and Democrat Rep. Christina Sappey co-sponsored the bill. Humane Action Pittsburgh has pushed for this change for more than three years.

Ahwesh said it has had a lot of support from animal advocates, domestic violence organizations and law enforcement. 

“We built a really broad coalition that not only included animal welfare organizations but domestic violence organizations like the National Link Coalition, and law enforcement agencies really stepped up to support us. We had the Pennsylvania Sheriff’s Association fighting hard for this bill, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and the attorney general’s office,” she said.

The bill amends the state’s domestic relations act and allows a judge to give the person seeking protection temporary ownership rights of family pets and to order the defendant to refrain from abusing the victim’s pets.

The hope is that this change empowers survivors to leave because they can protect their pets who are considered family.

Ahwesh said this is only the beginning and more work needs to be done.

“There is definitely a lack of resources in the commonwealth of places that are able to accommodate people that are seeking shelter along with their pets. We have a lot of really great resources in the Pittsburgh area, either human shelters that will help accommodate people with their pets or foster programs where they can bring their pets to also seek safety. But it’s definitely overall something that we need more help with and more funding for in Pennsylvania,” she said.

Ahwesh expects the governor to sign the bill into law.

“We’re going to be working to make sure that judges and people experiencing violence and social workers and such all are aware that this law is now in effect so that we can start utilizing it and helping people and animals that are experiencing violence,” said Ahwesh.