The Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would allow judges to include custody of a pet in a domestic protective order.
Those orders are issued after a victim of domestic violence asks for protection from his or her alleged attacker. The orders currently let judges, among other steps, order the alleged attacker to refrain from harrassing the victim, determine custody of children during the order and award possession of a home during the order.
The bill, approved 45 to 2, allows the judge also to determine whether the victim gets to keep the family pet during the order. The judge also could order the alleged attacker to refrain from any acts of cruelty toward the pet.
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