New Texas Law to Protect Pets from Domestic Violence

From KHOU 

Brad Woodard / KHOU 11 News

Posted on July 14, 2011 at 11:47 PM

Updated Friday, Jul 15 at 11:55 AM

HOUSTON -- All too often, pets are used as pawns in abusive relationships, and now lawmakers have enacted a new state law to protect pets.

Belinda Smith, who heads the animal cruelty section for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, says there is a well-documented link between animal abuse and domestic abuse.

“Family pets are used tools to harm, to threaten, to intimidate  and to control,” she said. “They tend to use the pet as an instrument of aggression, so many times what we see are pets being thrown from balconies, thrown from windows, thrown against the wall, stabbed, shot.”

Harris County authorities say Nidra Billard threw a puppy that was barely a month old from a third-story balcony after a fight with her boyfriend.

“BARC sees a lot of despicable things, but to see an animal used as a tool to get back against someone you're in a fight with shows a complete lack of any humanity,” said Chris Newport with BARC.

In another case a few years ago, a woman said the man sharing her home flew into a rage and killed her dog because it ate some food that had fallen on the floor.

“He just put his foot up and stomped its head, because the dog was licking on a little tiny piece of chicken.  He said, ‘That's my food,’” said Diane Golden.

The Texas Legislature recently passed a bill to include pets in protective orders. 

According to the American Humane Association, 71 percent of pet-owning women who enter shelters report their abusers had threatened, maimed or killed family pets out of revenge.  Then there are those who never make it to a shelter.

“Women stay in relationships where they are at risk of harm or death to protect their pets. We see it every day,” said Rebecca White with the Houston Area Women's Center.

White recalled one case in particular.

“And when she refused his advances, and would not have sex with him, he broke the dog's leg and said he would do that every time she turned him down,” White said.

“It really troubles me and it saddens me, especially in situations where you have children who witness the violence,” said Smith.

Experts say that happens about 75 percent of the time, and about a third of battered women report their children have hurt or killed animals themselves.

“They're going to mimic that behavior,” White said. “They're going to learn that behavior.  Also the children themselves feel powerless, and this is a way for a child to feel like they can gain some power over someone else who is more powerless than they are.”