Companion Animals and Coercive Control in Domestic and Family Violence

Companion animals are sentient beings. Anyone who lives with a dog, cat or other companion animal understands this instinctively: they experience fear, distress and pain, form deep emotional bonds, and respond to the emotional environment around them. Science supports this understanding, yet many legal frameworks still treat companion animals primarily as property.

This distinction becomes particularly important in the context of domestic and family violence (DFV). Research consistently shows that threats or harm toward pets are commonly used as a tactic of coercive control. Perpetrators may threaten, injure or kill companion animals in order to intimidate victim-survivors, punish perceived disobedience, or prevent someone from leaving the relationship.

Studies of victim-survivors with companion animals report that between 48–71% have experienced abuse or killing of their pets by an abusive partner. These acts are rarely isolated. Instead, they form part of a broader pattern of coercion designed to create fear, dependency and silence.

The impact can be significant. Research from the Australian Institute of Family Studies highlights that concern for a pet’s safety can be a major barrier to leaving a violent household. Many victim-survivors delay escaping abuse because they cannot find safe accommodation for their animals. Animal-inclusive safety planning and crisis accommodation programs have been shown to reduce this barrier and support recovery.

Demand for services that assist both people and their animals is also increasing. Public reporting indicates that RSPCA NSW’s Domestic Violence Program assisted 148 individuals and 248 animals between January and May 2024, representing a 108% increase from the previous year. This growing demand reflects increased awareness of the link between domestic violence and animal abuse, as well as the need for coordinated support services.

Importantly, when companion animals are treated only as “property” or “possessions” in law, the seriousness of these acts can be unintentionally minimised. Recognising animals as sentient family members better reflects the reality that perpetrators often weaponise the bond between people and their pets. Threats against animals can isolate victim-survivors, discourage disclosure and reinforce the perpetrator’s control.

Violence toward companion animals can also occur in other criminal contexts, such as property offences where pets are harmed during break-ins. In these situations, recognising animal sentience helps reinforce that harming an animal is not simply property damage but a deliberate act of violence that causes significant suffering.

Across Australia and internationally, there is growing recognition that domestic violence responses should include the safety of companion animals. Practical reforms can strengthen protections by allowing protection orders to include pets, preventing perpetrators from harming or taking them, and enabling safe recovery of animals when someone leaves a violent home. Recognising behaviours such as threatening a pet, withholding food or veterinary care, or using an animal to intimidate someone as forms of coercive control can also improve safety planning and intervention.

Some jurisdictions are already moving in this direction. Tasmania recently introduced legislation strengthening the inclusion of companion animals within family violence responses, reflecting an increasing understanding of the role pets can play in the dynamics of abuse.

Domestic violence is widely recognised as a pattern of behaviour aimed at controlling another person. Companion animals can become part of that pattern. By acknowledging the role pets play within families, and the ways they can be used to exert control, policies and services can better reflect the realities faced by victim-survivors.

Ensuring that both people and their animals are protected is not only an animal welfare issue — it is a domestic violence prevention and safety issue.

Hannah Bohlin

Founder/Owner/Operator

Aussie Pooch Nutrition & Wellbeing