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.