Sad sad sad

The Vermont Supreme Court ruled against the Goodbys. Read more here...

Florida Animal Law Seminar

My apologies for the delay in posting lately...

If you can be in Crawfordville, Florida on June 5th, there's a program being offered by the University of Florida Ag Extension Office featuring animal law attorney extraodinaire, and - I am proud to say, personal friend - Marcy LaHart.

Click here for program details...

Yes, goldfish count

In what may be only the second time goldfish have cropped up on the radar screen of animal welfare concerns (think: Massachusetts), a court in Denmark has convicted an anchorman of animal cruelty for a deadly demonstration.

Some four years ago, Lisbeth Koelster put shampoo in a bowl containing about a dozen goldfish - apparently to show that there were toxins in the hair product. Well, he was right. There were, and the fish died. Someone (allegedly a veterinarian) reported the behavior. And a prosecutor followed up on it.

I don't have a solid source for this story yet (heard it on the radio this morning), but I'll try to update later if I find one.

Hopefully, for everyone out there who hears about this conviction - even those (or perhaps especially those) who can't understand why this guy was prosecuted - it will give them an opportunity to think about the message behind the prosecution. Way to go, Denmark.

Their Calling Is Defending Rats, Yet These Folks Aren't Lawyers

Thanks to blog reader Bruce for the heads-up on this Wall Street Journal article about these efforts to protect the rights of some of the most voiceless creatures of all...

Yeesh

Latest pork industry propaganda.... enjoy....

Animal law in Australia

A flurry of down-under animal law activity these past couple of weeks...

First, former High Court judge Michael Kirby gave a series of several lectures earlier this month to announce his new book "Animal Law in Australasia"... there was an editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald observing the slow-but-increasingly-steady progress in animal rights and welfare issues across the nation... then there was another noteworthy lecture at Melbourne Law School, by U.S. animal law attorney and scholar Bruce Wagman, as described by The New Lawyer... and even an agriculture industry publication is noting, rather matter-of-factly, that the times they are a-changing....

Humane Society of the United States has peculiar bedfellow

Sorry for the gap in postings this past week... had a case that was supposed to go to trial yesterday but that's a whole other story.

Anywho, here's a thoughtful little editorial by Eric Sharp of the Detroit Free Press about HSUS's rather unlikely spokesperson...

FIrst annual animal law CLE in Illinois!

(Ok, this is a bit of shameless self- promotion... but I announce other bar's CLEs here, so why not Illinois too?)

The brand-new Animal Law Section of the Illinois State Bar Association is pleased to offer the first annual animal law conference for the prairie state! The conference is split into two half-day programs, one in Chicago and the other downstate, with segments geared towards topics more likely to arise in each region.

The Chicago seminar will be Thursday, June 4th. Topics include companion animal trusts, "pet custody" issues, dealing with dangerous dog ordinances and an insider's look at the legislative process with animal-friendly legislator, Sen. Don Harmon.

The Grafton seminar will be Friday, June 12th. Topics include the latest on equestrian laws, regulations regarding farmed animals and wildlife, proposed changes to cruelty laws as well as SLAPP suits.

Both seminars include an hour of ethics credit (subject to final approval, of course).

Why the scenic pictures dotting this blog post, you may ask? Good question.

As an added bonus, the downstate seminar is being held at the Pere Marquette Lodge & Conference Center, in beautiful Pere Marquette State Park along the Illinois River. Come earn CLE credit and enjoy nature too! The lodge is offering a discounted rate (available through May 15th) to conference attendees who would like to stay the night after the conference is over. For more on the lodge or to make reservations, click here!

Doth Smithfield Protest Too Much? Swine Flu Brings Focus to Factory Farm Practices

Here's a great Huffington Post article by Leslie Hatfield that says everything I would have said (and more!) about the alleged link between swine flu and evil corporate giant Smithfield Foods if I actually had time to really write about the subject. Click here to read more...