The Power of Animal-Inclusive Protection Orders
When someone experiences domestic violence, the safety of their pets is often at risk too. Abusers may harm or threaten animals as a way to maintain control. Recognizing this, many states have adopted animal-inclusive protection order statutes, allowing survivors to include their pets in protective orders.
A recent article in Violence Against Women—“Animal-Inclusive Protection Order Statutes: A Powerful Tool for Addressing and Mitigating Coercive Control” by Amy J. Fitzgerald—shows just how critical these protections are. By analyzing legal judgments across the U.S., Fitzgerald found that these statutes provide much-needed protection for survivors, particularly from ongoing coercive control. They ensure pets are treated as family members, not property, and remove one of the biggest barriers survivors face when leaving abusive situations.
Why It Matters
Without these laws, survivors are often forced into an impossible choice: stay in danger, or leave a beloved animal behind. By including pets in protection orders, states are helping families stay whole and safe.
Take Action
Ohio passed a pet protective order in 2014, but it took the Ohio Supreme Court over 7 years to redo the protective order form to include pets. Unfortunately, many judges, prosecutors and social workers are not aware this law is on the books. In remedy this problem and other issues related to the link between animal and human violence - OAA is partnering with the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy this year through their 'Close to Home Programs' to train professionals on pet protective orders and other issues related to the link between animal and humane violence. The next full-day training will be at Great Oaks Career Campus 10/15/25. If you are a law enforcement officer, humane agent, dog warden, social worker, case worker, prosecutor, attorney, judge, counselor or family therapist in the tri-state area - please contact OAA's Executive Director Vicki Deisner at vicki.deisner@gmail.com for registration information.
To implement pet protective orders - we need a safe haven associated with a domestic violence shelter, humane society, or foster program to remove a pet from an abusive situation. The good news is Ohio is a leader in options for pets in domestic violence situations! OAA has worked with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network to inform Ohio's domestic violence shelters of federal and nonprofit grant funding to develop and staff safe havens for pets. The grant program for safe havens under the PAWS Act of 2018 was reauthorized this year - though only at half the previous budget. Please write your Congressional Representatives and Senators and thank them for reauthorizing this critical funding source for families of domestic violence, and ask them to add additional funds to the program in the next funding cycle.
Together, we can ensure Ohio law protects every member of the family—people and pets alike.
