America turns 250 years old this July 4. Depending on your viewpoint, that’s 250 years of democracy that have found their righteous footing, lost their way, or are struggling to hold their core.
In the midst of the deepest divisions our country has known, one issue appears to unite us: advocating for our animal companions. Here are a few examples of landmark federal and state legislation advocating for pets in this century alone:
2000—Robby’s Law (H.R. 5314) mandated that all military working dogs suitable for adoption must be made available for placement in forever homes after their service. Prior to this law, a dog’s “adoptability” was decided by the commander of the last unit in which the dog served upon the recommendation of the unit’s veterinarian.
2006—In the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation, including abandonment of animal companions by rescue teams, Congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006. The act requires FEMA “to ensure that state and local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals prior to, during, and following a major disaster or emergency.” Since then, untold animals have been saved and united with their families during natural disasters.
2019—The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT: H.R. 724) criminalized specific, heinous acts that have been difficult to prosecute under previous law. Under the law, it’s a federal crime for a person to “intentionally crush, burn, drown, suffocate, impale or otherwise subject an animal to serious bodily harm.” Bodily harm includes sexual abuse. PACT closed loopholes in the then-existing laws that only prevented animal fighting.
2022—California passed SB 879, the Prohibiting Extraneous Testing Act (PET), which prohibited toxicity testing on dogs and cats for pesticides, chemical substances, and other products. New York (S. 4254) and Nevada (SB 103) took it a step further by prohibiting the sale of any cosmetics product tested on animals. In Illinois, HB 1711 banned pet shops from sourcing from puppy mills. New York (S. 4254) and Nevada (SB 103) can no longer cancel, deny, refuse to issue a homeowners policy, or increase premiums based solely on the breed of a homeowner’s dog.
2026—As of this writing, 32 states and the District of Columbia have enacted specific laws protecting animals left in unattended vehicles. These laws either explicitly prohibit leaving pets in dangerous, hot, or cold conditions or provide “Good Samaritan” civil immunity to bystanders who forcibly rescue them.
More needs to be done. For example, shelters that use the term “no-kill” are governed by truth-in-advertising laws, but the term is self-designated and not strictly regulated. Euthanasia is typically reserved for terminally ill or irredeemably “dangerous” animals. Some shelters have been known to relax such criteria so their euthanasia numbers appear low. Many states have pushed for legislative transparency to prevent misleading marketing.
Whether we’re commemorating America’s birthday with a UFC card, a No-Kings march, or quiet contemplation, one truth remains: democracy has done well on behalf of animal companions—but could do even better.
What action would you like to see taken?