New Hampshire is the latest of a growing number of US states to draft legislation
that would give victims of domestic violence the right to ask a judge to award them custody of their pet.
The Bill, which was before the state's lower house on Wednesday, on March 19,
would extend the protection already offered to human victims of domestic violence to household animals.
According to the National Link Coalition, which has carried out extensive research
on the mistreatment of animals, pet abuse should not be considered as an isolated incident
but as a warning that other members of the household are in danger.
It also says that domestic abusers threaten to hurt pets to prevent their partners taking flight.
“One of the things we have consistently seen is that victims of domestic abuse are afraid
to leave their homes because they are worried about what will happen to their pet,”
said Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public policy at the New Hampshire Coalition
against Domestic and Sexual Violence.