Animal Law Should Reflect More on Common Sense, Not Technicalities

Through writing my cat memoir, I became familiar with laws and regulations relating to pets. And I noticed that some of these laws are not working in favor of animals. 

Like bunnies, for example. Rabbits are the third most popular pets across the globe, yet some rabbit breeds are still used for scientific research and farming. Because of this, the law does not acknowledge bunnies as companion animals in most countries, despite rabbits being growingly cherished as indispensable members of families and even as emotional support animals. This discrepancy makes it harder to protect these intelligent animals. 

Also, historically, pets have been categorized as personal property by law. This creates a huge obstacle to protecting animals from harm. For instance, if a cat is abused by the owner and then rescued by a local charity, we would naturally expect a happy ending, right?... Nope. In jurisdictions where the law says pets are someone’s property, the abused cat could be returned to the owner unless the charity or authorities convince the owner to surrender the animal. This situation is very troubling. If it were up to common sense,  anyone with decency would agree that the cat should not be returned to an abusive home.

Or breed-specific legislation. It doesn’t matter if a pit bull is the friendliest dog in the world; animal shelters must comply with the law based on a dog's appearance. This can be the case even if the dog does not exhibit common stereotypes associated with pit bulls, such as aggression.

As a society, we need to reconsider whether this practice is outdated and biased. Perhaps, policymakers may be confused about the issues at hand: pit bulls can be nanny dogs or, disturbingly, fighting dogs, depending on how they are trained by their handlers. Not to mention, we should reflect on who truly benefits from the legislation. Because it’s not just animals that suffer the consequences. It is hurting those people who find joy and meaning in interacting with these wonderful animals. 

Ever since I became an avid animal admirer, I often feel like the world is not built for animal lovers… We teach children to be kind to animals, but once they enter society, the impact of that message seems to diminish dramatically. It is very sad. 

So, what can we do? While overnight change may not be realistic, many charities are campaigning for policy reforms. Visit your local animal charity websites and consider signing petitions that align with your values.