Domestic abuse remains a pervasive issue affecting millions globally, yet one often-overlooked aspect of these cases is the role of pets. While pets are valued companions in the majority of households, they are frequently exploited by abusers as tools of coercion and control. Ruby’s Law seeks to address this oversight by calling for explicit legal protection for pets in domestic abuse situations. This vital legislative reform aims to safeguard both human and animal victims of abuse, ensuring that pets are not used as leverage to control or manipulate vulnerable individuals.

The Link Between Domestic Abuse and Pet Abuse

In the United Kingdom, more than 60% of households house a pet, highlighting the deep emotional bonds that many people share with their animals.[1] However, domestic abuse statistics tell a troubling story. According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales (2024), approximately 2.3 million individuals aged 16 and above experience some form of abuse annually. A significant proportion of these cases involve the abuse of pets as a method of coercive control, underscoring the need for legislative reform.

Research by organisations like Dogs Trust (2019) reveals that 97% of domestic abuse professionals encounter cases where pets are harmed or threatened as a means of control. More alarmingly, nearly 49% of these cases involve the killing of animals. Abusers use these tactics to instil fear and prevent victims from leaving the abusive environment, exploiting the emotional bond between the victim and their pet.[2]

Pet abuse in domestic abuse scenarios does not only involve physical harm. Abusers often use pets as emotional manipulation tools, threatening to harm or kill animals if the victim attempts to escape. This form of control can also extend to economic abuse, where access to veterinary care, food, or the pet’s legal ownership is restricted. Ruby’s Law aims to fill the gap in current legislation by ensuring that pets are afforded legal protection, treating them as victims of abuse in their own right.

Why Ruby’s Law is Necessary

While the Family Law Act 1996 and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 offer some protections for human victims of domestic abuse, they fail to explicitly address the abuse of pets. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 was a significant step forward in recognising coercive control as a form of abuse, but it failed to explicitly address pet abuse in this context. The omission of pets from the legal framework leaves victims without the protection they need for their animals, often forcing them to choose between their safety and the safety of their pets.

Ruby’s Law seeks to amend existing legislation, specifically the Family Law Act 1996 and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, to offer explicit legal protections for pets. The proposed amendments would allow for pets to be included in Non-Molestation Orders and Occupation Orders, ensuring that abusers cannot harm or threaten the animals in the household. This reform would also enable courts to recognise pet abuse as a form of coercive control, expanding the scope of legal protection for victims.

The Psychological Impact of Pet Abuse

The psychological effects of pet abuse on human victims are profound and often underestimated. Survivors of domestic abuse frequently experience guilt, grief, and trauma as a result of the harm done to their pets.[3] The emotional toll is especially severe when victims witness their pets being harmed or killed. This can create a barrier to leaving the abusive situation, as the victim may feel guilty for abandoning their pet or may be paralysed by the fear of further harm coming to the animal.

The psychological effects on children who witness pet abuse can be equally devastating. Research shows that children exposed to animal cruelty are at increased risk of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, and behavioural issues.[4] The emotional bond between children and their pets is strong, and seeing a pet harmed or killed can result in long-lasting trauma. Ruby’s Law addresses this by recognising the role of pets in the emotional and psychological well-being of both adults and children, ensuring they are protected under domestic abuse legislation.

Gaps in the Current Legal Framework

While there are some protections for pets under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, these laws do not integrate effectively with domestic abuse protections. The Animal Welfare Act provides protections against physical harm but does not address the broader context of domestic abuse, where pets are used as tools for manipulation or control. There is also no clear mechanism for transferring guardianship of pets from an abuser to the survivor, leaving victims at risk of further harm if the abuser retains legal status of the animal.

Additionally, animal cruelty cases under the Animal Welfare Act require substantial evidence of physical harm. This makes it difficult to address psychological or emotional abuse directed at pets, particularly in cases where abusers use pets for coercive control without leaving visible physical injuries. Ruby’s Law seeks to close these gaps by proposing changes that would explicitly include pets in protective orders and enable law enforcement to act more effectively in domestic abuse situations involving animals.

International Comparisons

The UK is not alone in grappling with this issue. Other countries have made significant strides in integrating pet protection into domestic abuse laws. In the United States, states like California and Maine have passed laws allowing pets to be included in restraining orders, which prevents abusers from harming or taking custody of the pets. At the federal level, the Pets and Women’s Safety (PAWS) Act provides funding to help domestic abuse shelters accommodate pets, ensuring that survivors can leave abusive situations without fearing for the safety of their animals.

Similarly, Canada and Australia have enacted laws to include pets in domestic abuse protection orders, recognising that pets are integral to the emotional and psychological well-being of victims. These international precedents highlight the potential for Ruby’s Law to improve legal protections for pets in the UK, ensuring the country aligns with global best practices in safeguarding both human and animal victims of domestic abuse.

Proposed Amendments under Ruby’s Law

Ruby’s Law proposes several key amendments to legislation:

1. Inclusion of pets in Non-Molestation and Occupation Orders: This would prevent abusers from harming or threatening pets and would enable victims to have guardianship of their pets in protective orders.
2. Recognition of pet abuse as coercive control: This would allow courts to address pet abuse as part of a broader pattern of controlling behaviour, strengthening protections for victims.
3. Emergency pet removal mechanisms: This would enable law enforcement to remove pets from abusive environments quickly, preventing them from being used as leverage by abusers.
4. Strengthened evidence collection: The amendments would make it easier to use veterinary records, witness evidence, and digital evidence in court, improving the ability to prosecute cases involving pet abuse.

The Real-World Impact of Ruby’s Law

By formally recognising pets as victims of abuse, Ruby’s Law will provide legal clarity and support for survivors, allowing them to leave abusive situations without fear for their pets’ safety. Research consistently shows that up to 71% of survivors delay leaving an abusive relationship due to concerns for their pets’ safety, with many remaining in dangerous situations because they are unable to take their animals with them. [5] Ruby’s Law addresses this critical barrier by ensuring that survivors are no longer forced to choose between their own safety and the welfare of their companion animals.

Moreover, the law will increase prosecution rates for domestic abuse, particularly in cases where pets are used as tools of coercive control. With clearer legal provisions, law enforcement and the justice system will be better equipped to address these cases and protect all members of the household, human and animal alike.

UN General Comment No. 26: Interconnected Harms

Ruby’s Law aligns closely with the principles articulated in the UN General Comment No. 26 (2023) on children’s rights and the environment. This comment emphasises the interconnected harms experienced by children, animals, and communities in abusive environments. By addressing the role of pets in domestic abuse, Ruby’s Law recognises the emotional and psychological toll that pet abuse has on victims, particularly children, and reflects the UN’s call for holistic, preventative approaches to protection.

The law translates these international norms into concrete domestic legal reform, ensuring that the safety of children, survivors, and animals are considered together in protective frameworks. By doing so, Ruby’s Law strengthens protections for vulnerable individuals and underscores the importance of safeguarding all members of the household from abuse.

Campaign Developments

Since its launch in 2025, Ruby’s Law has evolved from a practitioner-led reform initiative into a nationally and internationally recognised campaign addressing a long-standing gap in family law: the absence of legal protection for companion animals in domestic abuse cases. The campaign has secured cross-party political support and was formally tabled as an Early Day Motion in Westminster in November 2025. It has been debated at two All-Party Parliamentary Group sessions in 2025 and endorsed by leading animal welfare and domestic abuse organisations. These developments reflect growing recognition that harm to pets is not ancillary, but integral to patterns of coercive control and family violence.

Ruby’s Law has also achieved significant traction in Northern Ireland, where the proposals have now reached the Bills Committee stage having been debated at Stormont on 6 October 2025, representing a critical step towards legislative reform. In November 2025, Ards and North Down Borough Council became the first local authority in the UK to formally endorse the campaign, signalling meaningful local government engagement. The campaign has been referenced in the Northern Ireland Assembly and has extended its influence internationally, including citation in Canadian Animal Law (LexisNexis, 2025) and in submissions by the Global Link Coalition concerning the implementation of UN General Comment No. 26. Today, Ruby’s Law operates at the intersection of family law, animal law, and children’s rights, increasingly functioning as a comparative and cross-jurisdictional framework for reform, with a clear focus on translating research, lived experience, and advocacy into practical legal change.

www.rubyslaw.co.uk

[1] PDSA (2023) PAW Report: UK Pet Population and Wellbeing. London: People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals.

[2] Dogs Trust (2019) The Link Between Domestic Abuse and Pet Abuse. London: Dogs Trust

[3] Faver & Strand, Fear, Guilt, and Grief: Harm to Pets and the Emotional Abuse of Women, Journal of Emotional Abuse 7(1): 51–70 (2007).

[4] McDonald et al., Traumatized Witnesses: Childhood Exposure to Animal Cruelty and Internalizing Behavior Problems (2019)

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