Acts of cruelty towards pets, such as pouring bleach into fish tanks or splashing boiling water on family dogs, are on the rise and being used as a tactic of fear and control within abusive relationships, according to domestic violence services. These incidents highlight a disturbing and often overlooked aspect of coercive control, where perpetrators target animals to terrorize their partners and children.
Fiona O’Malley, chief executive of Sonas Domestic Violence Charity in Dublin, stated that such accounts are increasingly common. "Women should never have to choose between their own safety and the safety of their pet," O'Malley said. "When perpetrators target animals, they are targeting women and children too. The harm ripples through the entire household."
Sonas is advocating for the Irish government to address this issue as part of future domestic violence reforms, arguing that the current legal framework has not kept pace with how coercive control is being enacted. While the Domestic Violence Act 2018 allows courts to consider animal cruelty as a relevant factor, protections remain limited. Currently, pets cannot be directly included in safety, protection, or barring orders, leaving no clear legal mechanism to prevent an abusive partner from harming, removing, or withholding an animal as a means of control. Furthermore, the impact on children witnessing animal abuse is not sufficiently recognized.
"We believe courts should be empowered to include pets within domestic violence protection orders," O'Malley insisted. "We also need practical legal pathways that allow temporary protection or transfer arrangements for animals when women and children flee abusive homes. Plus, exposure to animal cruelty should also be recognised as a child welfare issue."
Survivor testimonies underscore the severity of this tactic. One woman recounted how her abusive husband sent her a video of him pouring boiling water over their family dog after she fled his abuse. For many, the decision to leave an abusive home is compounded by the fear for their pets' well-being, as animals are often seen as integral family members, providing comfort and emotional support, particularly to children in unstable environments.
In the United Kingdom, a 2021 study by Refuge4Pets and Dogs Trust found that nearly 90% of domestic abuse households with pets reported animals being abused, with 94% reporting pets being used as part of coercive control. These statistics align with the experiences of domestic violence services.
Legal reforms are underway in the UK, with Ruby’s Law, now the Domestic Abuse (Pets) Bill, progressing through Parliament. Drafted by family barrister Christina Warner, the proposed legislation aims to explicitly recognize pet abuse as part of domestic abuse, allow pets to be included in protection orders, and strengthen powers against perpetrators interfering with animals. Warner noted that clients frequently raised concerns about family pets, yet existing court systems offered inadequate protection.
Warner helped launch an Irish version of Ruby's Law in Dublin, which seeks to have pets explicitly recognized within domestic abuse legislation and included in protection orders where coercive control is present. The campaign also aims to create occupation orders that protect a victim and pet’s right to remain in their home, addressing the critical shortage of animal-friendly refuges.
"We want to create a legal electric fence around the human and the pet," Warner explained. "So that way the perpetrator can’t remove the animal from the victim’s care, because we know that happens as well, we know that animals are being starved, burned, euthanised as a form of abuse."
Charity partnerships, such as the one between Sonas and the NSPCA providing temporary pet accommodation, offer some relief but do not address situations where alleged perpetrators retain control of animals. Experts also highlight the correlation between animal abuse and violence against humans, noting that many serial offenders began by harming animals.
This link was tragically illustrated by the case of Holly Bramley, who was murdered by her husband in 2023. Before killing her, he tortured and killed her pets. Following her death, her mother launched Holly's Law, advocating for animal cruelty disclosure measures to be flagged in safeguarding and domestic abuse risk assessments.
"Irish law still does not explicitly recognise pet abuse as a distinct form of coercive and controlling behaviour within domestic abuse, and that gap matters," said O'Malley. "Because what the law names, society recognizes. And what society recognizes, victims are more likely to report, and institutions are more likely to address."