Improving protection for pets in family law: An interview with barrister Christina Warner

Currently in law, the Family Law Act (1996) provides protection for victims of domestic abuse through Non Molestation Orders and Occupation Orders. There is very little that offers explicit protection for pets who may be targeted as a form of abuse. In this Q&A with barrister Christina Warner, she shares why she is looking to make amendments to the Family Law Act (1996) and the Domestic Abuse Act (2021) to include pets in the legislation.

Who Is Christina Warner?

Christina Warner is a multi-award-winning barrister, and the founder of Ruby’s Law. With a background in family law and human rights, Christina has built a career advocating for the most vulnerable – both human and animal. Ruby’s Law is not her first foray into legislative reform—but it is undoubtedly her most personal. Fuelled by years of frontline experience and direct testimony from survivors, Christina is determined to close a major gap in family legislation addressing domestic abuse in England and Wales: the protection of pets. Her message is simple but powerful:

Pets are also victims of domestic abuse – they deserve protection. And it’s time the law recognised this.

What exactly is Ruby’s Law?

Ruby’s Law might sound like a heartwarming Disney film, but it’s about something deeply serious. It’s a campaign to introduce legal protections for pets in domestic abuse cases. At the moment, the law in England and Wales doesn’t acknowledge pets as either being victims of domestic abuse or the impact that abuse may have on their human guardians.

 

But anyone who has ever loved an animal knows that’s not the case. Pets are often central to a survivor’s emotional world—and perpetrators know it. Ruby’s Law would legally recognise that bond and allow pets to be protected in court orders, just like children and survivors.

What inspired the campaign?

Ruby was my cat. Equally as gorgeous and fluffy as she was smart and sassy. She passed away in May 2023. I like to think that she’s a symbol of everything at stake. She embodied the quiet strength and resilience of so many animals who live through abuse, and the impossible choices their people have to make.

 

Over the years, I’ve heard far too many stories of survivors telling me how they stayed because they couldn’t find a refuge that would take their dog. Or how their cat was poisoned. Or how they had to leave their rabbit behind, only to find out it had been harmed in retaliation. These aren’t rare cases—they are painfully common.

 

Ruby’s Law was born from those conversations. It’s built on the belief that no one should ever have to choose between their own safety and their pet’s life. That pets, like Ruby, deserve protection not just as property, but as living, feeling beings who matter—deeply—to the people who love them. So many survivors delay escape or return to danger because they have no safe options for their pets. Ruby became a symbol for those silent, four-legged victims—and for the survivors who love them.

What does the current law say?

In short? Not nearly enough.

 

The Family Law Act 1996 and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 protect people from abuse, but they don’t specifically account for pets used as tools of coercion. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 allows prosecution for cruelty, but it doesn’t deal with threats, emotional blackmail, or withholding access to pets as part of abuse.

 

This legal gap leaves pets vulnerable—and survivors isolated.

What kind of abuse are we talking about?

Some examples are harrowing. Survivors have reported pets being poisoned, drowned, starved, kicked, and even killed. One woman told us her partner poured bleach into her fish tank because she was late home. Another said he beat their dog for an hour after it ran off at the park. Others are tracked through pet GPS collars or forbidden from accessing food or vet care.

 

Abusers know that hurting or threatening a beloved animal cuts deep. It’s not incidental—it’s calculated. And it’s abuse.

What would Ruby’s Law do?

Ruby’s Law has three key goals:

 

1. Amend the Family Law Act so that Non-Molestation and Occupation Orders can include pets—meaning abusers could be legally banned from harming or taking them.
2. Ensure pet custody—so survivors can keep their animals without legal battles with the abuser.
3. Update the Domestic Abuse Act to include pet abuse as a form of coercive control.

 

It’s about making the law catch up with reality—and protecting the whole household.

Isn’t this a distraction from protecting people?

Absolutely not. Protecting pets is protecting people.

 

We know that survivors who have pets often delay leaving because they can’t take their animal with them—and many refuges don’t allow them. Children who see pets harmed can suffer PTSD. Pets are not a side issue. They’re often the reason a survivor stays—or the reason they finally find the strength to leave.

What can we learn from other countries?

So much. The United States passed the PAWS Act to fund pet-friendly domestic violence shelters. Canada, particularly British Columbia, includes pets in restraining orders. Scotland already recognises threats to animals as part of coercive control.

 

Meanwhile, in England and Wales, we’re still stuck in a legal mindset that treats pets as property. It’s time we caught up.

Who benefits from Ruby’s Law?

So many people. Elderly people who live alone with their pet. LGBTQ+ individuals whose pets are their chosen family. Veterans with PTSD service dogs. Neurodivergent people with emotional support animals. Children who rely on pets for comfort. Homeless survivors who won’t go into a shelter if it means leaving their pet behind.

 

And, of course, the animals themselves—who suffer in silence and deserve protection too.

What kind of impact would this law have?

It would save lives. It would give survivors one less reason to stay in danger. It would help police and prosecutors take pet-related abuse more seriously. It would increase reporting, raise conviction rates, and reduce the trauma for survivors trying to navigate the legal system. And it would show that the law is finally listening to what survivors need.

What do vets and shelters have to do with this?

A lot. Vets are often the first to spot the signs—injuries on animals that reflect patterns of abuse. But without legal clarity, they may not report what they see. Animal shelters, too, often end up caring for pets whose owners are fleeing abuse. Ruby’s Law would provide better legal mechanisms and communication between domestic abuse services and animal welfare groups.

What message do you want to send to survivors reading this?

You are not imagining it. If your partner is using your pet to control you, harm you, or manipulate you, that is abuse. You deserve safety. Your pet deserves safety. And you shouldn’t have to choose between the two.

 

Ruby’s Law is for you.

What’s next for the campaign?

We’ve secured formal endorsements from many large animal charities and we’re continuing conversations with MPs and peers across parties. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (Dog Advisory Welfare Group) has scheduled a formal session for 21 October to raise further awareness of Ruby’s Law.

 

This is a real opportunity for change—and we’re closer than ever.

How can people help?

Sign the petition. Share survivor stories. Write to your MP. Follow us at rubyslaw.co.uk. Talk about it. Post about it. Tag your local representatives. The more noise we make, the harder it is for policymakers to ignore.

Because if your safety was on the line, wouldn’t you want to take your best friend with you?