Ayotte Named Legislator of the Year by American Kennel Club

MANCHESTER, NH — On Friday, U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, received the Legislator of the Year Award from the American Kennel Club (AKC) for her work on legislation that would help end animal cruelty and abuse. The award presentation took place during a dog obedience competition hosted by the Souhegan Kennel Club at American K-9 Country in Amherst, according to a press statement.

“I am honored to be recognized by the American Kennel Club and I appreciate the Souhegan Kennel Club for hosting Friday’s event and obedience competition,” said Ayotte. “We can all agree that ending animal cruelty is not a partisan issue, and as New Hampshire’s former Attorney General, I’ve been proud to work on a number of bipartisan bills to address these crimes. In particular, I introduced the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act that would better protect victims of domestic violence and their pets, and it would create a federal grant program to allow domestic violence shelters to provide space for victims’ pets. By increasing these shelters’ abilities, we can work to get more victims and their pets out of dangerous environments.”

Ayotte worked with U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-MI, to introduce the PAWS Act to expand current federal law so that it better shields domestic violence victims and their pets’ from abuse. Many times, an abuser will threaten to harm a victim’s pet in order to assert control and trap victims in a dangerous situation. By restricting the ability of abusers to harm pets, the PAWS Act helps victims and their pets reach safer environments. Studies have reported that nearly half of women in households with domestic abuse wait longer to leave because they are worried about their pets’ safety. In addition, the PAWS Act would also authorize a federal grant program to help cover the costs of housing a pet when victims are seeking shelter. Often, domestic violence shelters do not have the capacity to accept pets. This grant program is supported by the AKC.

Caption: Ayotte with Sheila Goff, Vice President of Government Affairs for the American Kennel Club. Right: Senator Ayotte greets one of the dogs and her owner participating in the Souhegan Kennel Club Fall Extravaganza.

Submitted by Lauren Zelt.