Sunday, December 27, 2009

The legacy of Jake the dog...

The former yellow lab of one Sioux City councilman is being described as the "poster child" for what's wrong with that city's vicious animal law....

...as Jake's owner looks ahead to trying to amend that law in the coming year. Read more about Jake's informal (tho rather suspect) reprieve in Lynn Zerschling's piece in the Sioux City Journal.

(And in a not-altogether unrelated article, Jake apparently got 62 write-in votes in Sioux City's last election this past November...)

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Judge allows wild horse roundup in Nevada

A controversial wild horse roundup is scheduled to begin on Monday in Nevada. Read more in this Associated Press article...

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!

to those who celebrate it and best wishes to all for this holiday season!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Vt. court eyes value of love of man's best friend

Associated Press

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont's highest court is being asked to decide what a dog's love is worth.

The state Supreme Court on Thursday began hearing a case that started in July 2003, when Denis and Sarah Scheele, who were visiting relatives, let their mixed-breed dog wander into Lewis Dustin's yard and he fatally shot it.

Now the Scheeles, of Annapolis, Md., are asking the court to carve out a new legal doctrine that a dog's owners can sue for emotional distress and loss of companionship, just like parents can when they lose children.

Click here for the rest of the article...


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Ruling in on Western Illinois mega-dairy case

The court handed down its opinion in the A.J. Boss trial yesterday. In roughly a half-dozen pages, the court basically said that the plaintiffs, while they had some evidence, did not prove that the operation of the mega-dairy in Jo Daviess County would constitute either a private nuisance, public nuisance or trespass. He also taxed costs against the plaintiffs. If I can figure out how to link to a PDF copy of the ruling, I'll add a link later.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Real life "pay it forward"

Again, nothing to do with animal law, but it's a real heart-warming, holiday season tale. For one evening, life imitated art at a Philadelphia diner. Read more in this NBCPhiladelphia story by Danielle Johnson.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Animal activists are crucifying farmers

Activists pushing for changes in animal agriculture actually want to end the practice of raising animals for food. That’s the message from Missouri Farm Bureau President Charlie Kruse, and others at the group’s annual convention in Osage Beach, Missouri.

Read more in the Meat Trade News Daily...

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Word has it that...

... the A.J. Boss mega-dairy trial wrapped up in western Illinois this past week. No link to follow here, just passing along what I heard through the grapevine. No verdict yet.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Round-up

A recent few items that I missed....

A longtime Wisconsin activist lived just long enough to see her goal realized last week... read more in this Wisconsin Rapids Tribune article by Adam Wise. To read more on Wisconsin's new anti-puppy mill law, check out this article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel by Patrick Marley. Congrats to all involved in this bill's passage!

The infamous Brooklyn loser who threw Oreo the dog off a roof last summer was a no-show at his court hearing last week and now faces jail time. (Unfortunately not the death penalty... did I say that out loud?...) Read more in Scott Shifrel's article in the NY Daily News.

And a rather unusual demonstration in Madrid this past weekend: animal activists carried some 100 carcasses of various non-humans down the street to raise awareness of animal cruelty issues. Read more in this posting on Examiner.com by Kelley Diekman.

Monday, December 07, 2009

First Annual Animal Law Social in Chicago

Last Wednesday, the Chicago Bar Association animal law committee, American Bar Association animal law committee and area law schools all came together for what will hopefully become an annual holiday networking event. John Marshall Law School was kind enough to host the evening and some 50 attorneys and students attended!

The JMLS Animal Law Society also gave an award to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. Sheriff Dart has a commendable track record for his ongoing efforts to combat dog fighting, as well as support of other local animal welfare issues. Here, Tom O'Donnell accepts the award on behalf of the Sheriff.

Party organizers, left to right: Tracy McGonigle, Chair, CBA Animal Law Committee, Amy Breyer, founding chair, CBA Animal Law Committee, and Sunny MacLachlan, JMLS trial advocacy professor and coach of the animal law moot court team.

Here are some more photos. Thanks to everyone involved for helping make this event a success!


Wednesday, December 02, 2009

A Legal Challenge to Animal Research

Subtitled "Animal rights law courses may threaten the use of animals in medical research"....

... a research director at the Oregon National Primate Research Center and Oregon Health and Sciences University offers his opinion on the impact of the growing number of animal law courses as well as interplay between law and medical schools in the latest edition of The Scientist.