02/14/2023
WHAT WE DO AND WHY
Laws affecting companion animals and their owners, by and large, were written in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The status of “pets” has grown astronomically since then, but laws still treat them as personal property. As a result, companion animals and their owners are denied basic rights and protections. One result is that millions of companion animals are wrongfully killed every year by governments because laws have not kept pace with society.
The Center brings legal challenges to change this predicament. Our battles for these animals' lives also help develop laws to recognize their fundamental rights. Only when animals are no longer valued as disposable and replaceable property will their rights, and therefore their lives, be best assured.
We fight for the abandoned, injured and wrongly accused. We are their voice. Changing how the law treats them is paramount to creating a world we all should strive for. Below are examples of our recent progress:
• Defending dogs in kill order appeals, in several states now, remains a major focus of our work. We wrote a substantive amicus brief in a kill order appeal before the California appellate court regarding the defenses for a dog being provoked and when a trespass occurs on its property. We saved a Connecticut dog on death row named Dolly including two appeals to the CT Appellate Court arguing 14th amendment due process challenges to the state kill order statute. We continue to develop and pursue select challenges to the constitutionality of state and local laws which deprive owners and the animals they care for the fundamental rights they deserve. That’s Dolly in the picture below thanking her attorney!
• We achieved several legal decisions concerning the custody of companion animals when couples' relationships ended. These results confirm the recognition that companion animals, while not human children to which “joint custody” typically only applies, are certainly more than mere property like a couch.
• We are litigating novel legal theories outside of traditional negligence principles in order to hold veterinarians and others accountable for irreparable harm and injuries to companion animals. Veterinarian malpractice is a massive national dilemma ultimately hinging on the value the law places on the damage and loss of these animals. These lawsuits elevate the inherent rights of animals when courts recognize the harm is substantial and legal remedies are justified and required.
• We litigated a federal civil rights suit in Connecticut on behalf of an owner whose cherished dog was stolen by rogue police officers, a suit which focused on the value the law places on these animals. This suit added to the growing body of critical cases on animal valuation and thus their rights. Our website contains pleadings and court decisions on all of the above matters.
Fighting governments in court is an expensive and daunting task. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to help pay for the part-time support staff, law clerks and litigation expenses of these lawsuits, which typically run in the thousands of dollars per case, while the lawyers still work pro bono.
We can only create crucial impact on the lives of these wonderful creatures and the laws affecting them with support from those who believe in what we do.
Donations can be made by check or electronically through our website, www.thecfal.org
All of us are most grateful for your involvement and commitment.
