April 4, 2008

Pet Scoop--Animals Gain Legal Status as a New Field of Animal Law Arises

In step with our pets' new status as family members, they are gaining in legal status as well. From USA Today's Fido, Fluffy become more high profile part of law :

Fido is getting a new name -- several, in fact: "plaintiff," "trustee," "beneficiary" and even "defendant."
Dogs, cats and creatures of all sorts are being redefined in an emerging area of legal practice known as animal law. Once considered mere property, animals are being invested with legal standing as they're increasingly being named as partial beneficiaries of estates, subjects of lawsuits and victims of abuse.

As animals rise in the law, so does the profile of animal lawyers, or lawyers who practice animal law.

Ninety-two of the 196 law schools in the country approved by the American Bar Association now offer courses on animal law, up from the nine that offered classes in 2000, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

We humans are ever-expanding our classification of beings to whom we grant "rights". However, all you soon-to-be law school grads, don't quit your day job yet. Read entire article

And, word to the wise, check your state and local laws--your dog may have more legal rights than your cat. Check out this short video via Clip Syndicate:

Moral of the story, microchip your pet, or place an ID tag on their collar.