Who's on a Leash Now?

Scott Hardie | September 2, 2006
In New York, a judge has granted a restraining order to a dog beaten by its owner's friend. (link)

Punishment aside, what can a restraining order accomplish that couldn't be done by the owner not letting the bastard come over any more? Presumably he's not going to do that anyway, if they're even speaking to each other after this. Has the man made angry vows to break into the apartment and continue beating the dog?

America has taken yet another step on its path towards animals having the same legal rights as people. Some people cheer that outcome; I fear it.

Tony Peters | September 2, 2006
a restraining order in that case is stupid...the guy should go to jail for what he did regardless of the fact that it was an animal. However as it stands justice has been abused

Michael Paul Cote | September 6, 2006
From what I've witnessed and read about, restraining orders in general are useless. You have to believe that the person wishing to do harm to someone is going to be stopped by someone telling them to stay away. That doesn't even always work with my 6 year old. I was recently put in the middle (unknowingly) of a psycho romance. He had a restraining order against him to stay 200 ft. away from her. She and I were having a drink and talking and he came over and started trouble. The bar manager removed him so he went and slashed two of her tires. Needless to say, I'm through with that situation. But, it shows how well restraining orders work!

Kris Weberg | September 6, 2006
They don't work in and of themselves, but they're useful for two purposes tangential to actual restraint:

1) They generate a legal "paper trail" so that civil suits and criminal charges become easier to win against the person "restrained."

2) They provide a relatively handy excuse for people like the bartender in your example or a police officer in other instances to drive off the harrasser without worrying baout the harrasser filing suit. Harrassers often will abuse the legal system in that manner, absent a restraining order.