Animal Law

Dog Custody Battle Racks Up $60K in Attorney’s Fees

A 34-year-old New York City man who says he considers his dog his son has spent over $60,000 so far on legal fees fighting his ex-girlfriend in a cross-country court battle for custody of a puggle named Knuckles. Craig Dershowitz says he has gone through his life savings in a…

May 14, 2012 3:33 PM CDT

Wilbur the Pig Is a Household Pet, Judge Rules; Community Association Can’t Evict Him

Wilbur the pig is a household pet, a Texas judge ruled Monday, in a finding that prevents the porker’s family from having to find a new home for him. Potbellied Vietnamese pigs like Wilbur are routinely kept as pets, Harris County District Judge Mike Engelhart found, in a decision greeted…

May 8, 2012 4:15 PM CDT

Death Sentence for Wolf Hybrid Is Converted to Life Term at Louisiana State Penitentiary

A wolf hybrid that had been given the death penalty by a Louisiana judge over its aggressive behavior got a reprieve Tuesday after a state prison warden suggested an alternative sentence. Chief, who has mixed British Columbia wolf and German shepherd ancestry, will now be sent to patrol the 18,000-acre,…

May 2, 2012 5:30 PM CDT

Going to the Dogs: San Antonio Court Seeks to Enforce Animal Control Laws

This month marks the first anniversary of “pet court,” which convenes Friday mornings as part of the municipal court system in the city of San Antonio, Texas. But Scooby-Doo v. Lassie it’s not. Instead, the new court focuses on enforcement of the city’s animal control laws, including failure to register…

May 1, 2012 9:20 AM CDT

Lawyers Win Reprieve for Boots the Cat, Ordered Euthanized in Owner’s Will

Boots the cat will be able to live out the remainder of her life at a no-kill shelter called Cats are Purrsons Too, thanks to lawyers for a bank appointed to manage the estate of the cat’s owner. The 1988 will of Boots’ owner, Georgia Lee Dvorak, specified that any…

Apr 5, 2012 2:18 PM CDT

Calif. Inmate Gets OK to Publish How-to Book on Breeding Aggressive Dogs

A California state prison inmate has received permission to publish and distribute a book about the breeding and training of aggressive dogs. Dale Bretches, a convicted murderer serving a lengthy prison sentence at the Pelican Bay State Prison, bred the two dogs that fatally mauled a woman in the corridor…

Feb 29, 2012 10:00 PM CST

Pet Custody Cases Proliferate, Divorce Lawyers Say; One Shares Custody of Dudley Dachshund with Ex

Once upon a time, the family pet was simply considered property. And, even as attitudes towards an animal’s role in a household changed, it was easy for a judge in a matrimonial case to include custody of a pet along with custody of the child or children that it presumably…

Feb 29, 2012 12:17 AM CST

Critics Call San Antonio’s Unusual Animal Court a Waste of Taxpayer Money

City officials in San Antonio have created an animal court to crack down on pet owners accused of acting irresponsibly. The court may be unique in the United States, the Wall Street Journal reports. The court hears cases that weren’t getting much attention in municipal courts, as prosecutors target pet…

Feb 22, 2012 1:31 PM CST

Judge Doesn’t Buy Expanding 13th Amendment Argument in PETA Suit over Enslaved Whales

PETA has lost its bid to get a federal judge to hear its lawsuit contending that SeaWorld is holding five killer whales in violation of the 13th Amendment. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller dismissed the suit on Wednesday, saying the 13th Amendment applies only to human beings and offers no…

Feb 9, 2012 1:27 PM CST

ABA Supports ‘Breed-Neutral’ Policies for Service Animals

The ABA has weighed in on an issue of concern to disability rights advocates—access to public accommodations by individuals with disabilities who use service animals. The ABA House of Delegates on Monday approved Resolution 303, which urges lawmakers to ensure that people using service animals have access to public programs…

Feb 6, 2012 10:10 PM CST

Supreme Court Overturns California Slaughterhouse Regulations on Downer Pigs

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a federal slaughterhouse statute pre-empts a California law barring the sale of meat from downer pigs. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the opinion (PDF) for the unanimous court finding that the Federal Meat Inspection Act pre-empts California’s downer regulations. The FMIA has an express…

Jan 23, 2012 7:02 PM CST

Illinois Law Allows Fur Trappers to Scoop Up Roadkill

A new Illinois law aims to help clean up roadways by allowing people with the appropriate licenses to help themselves to roadkill. Under the law, anyone with a furbearer’s license can take animals killed on the road during trapping season for their pelts or for meat, according to the Associated…

Jan 9, 2012 1:58 PM CST

Animal Rights Activists Fear Vague Statute Has Chilling Effect on Lawful Protests

Animal rights activists challenged a rarely used law in a suit filed Thursday that allows the government to prosecute actions that cause profit losses for businesses that use or sell animal products. The five activists, represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights, allege that the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act has…

Dec 15, 2011 11:38 PM CST

Rescuing Deer Puts Wisconsin Man at Risk of Jail Time

Updated: There’s a happy ending to the case of Charlotte the deer. According to a report on Thursday, a Wisconsin man who rescued the fawn was being threatened with a fine and jail time for “unauthorized taking” of the animal. Marvin Graaf took the fawn to his farm in Lake…

Dec 15, 2011 5:33 PM CST

Subpoenaed Canine Witnesses Are Well Behaved, But Fail to Win Owners’ Acquittal

A defense lawyer hoping to win an acquittal for two Oregon men accused of animal neglect subpoenaed four unusual witnesses on their behalf: Merlin, Patches, Coco and Raven. Defense lawyer Chris O’Connor had subpoenaed the dogs—three Great Danes and a Pit Bull—in an effort to show the animals were in…

Dec 15, 2011 2:35 PM CST