Maine Adds Fido To Protection Orders

State Is First In Nation To Consider Pets In Domestic Abuse Cases

(AP)  Spurred by growing evidence of a link between domestic violence and animal abuse, Maine has enacted a first-in-the-nation law that allows judges to include pets in protection orders for spouses and partners leaving abusive relationships.

In helping pets, advocates hope to help battered women and others who aren't willing to abandon their animals to be saved themselves.

"This is a very innovative, new approach, and it makes perfect sense because the protection order is a critical stage for women and others seeking protection," said Nancy Perry of the Washington, D.C.-based Humane Society of the United States.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci says the law, which provides for civil penalties such as fines or jail time for those who violate a protection order, should give pause to abusers who might resort to violence or threats against pets as a means of keeping their victims from leaving a relationship.

Law enforcement officials, animal welfare agents and advocates for domestic violence victims say it's not unusual to hear of abusers who vent their rage against a partner's pet.

"It's just another tactic to keep power and control over the victim," said Cindy Peoples of Caring Unlimited, a shelter in York County.

Susan Walsh, whose dog and sheep were killed by her husband, said many victims stand to benefit from including pets in protection orders.

"I've heard so many horror stories from other women that I knew I was not alone," she said.