Animal Law

Almost-Grand Champion Owner Has Cow Over Competition Counterclaim

A youth whose grand champion steer and goat lost their competition titles thinks the livestock association countersuit against him is, well, a lot of bull. The Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo pulled the 2004 title from the steer because of an anti-inflammatory medication administered for a rash and from the…

Jan 7, 2008 3:12 PM CST

Duck Cruelty Case Creates Controversy for Animal Rights Attorney

A young animal rights attorney in Minneapolis is on the hot seat after writing to the judge hearing a case against a man accused of ripping the head off of a live duck in front of onlookers at a downtown hotel. Corwin Kruse, a lawyer at Dorsey & Whitney who…

Dec 14, 2007 5:15 PM CST

Girl Teary Over Town Board’s Fowl Vote

Two years ago, a Pennsylvania girl won a prize from her municipality’s recreation board for having the most unusual pet—a rooster. But now, in the latest decision in a case that has been ongoing for months, the North Huntingdon Township zoning hearing board has said Melissa Hensler must get rid…

Dec 6, 2007 12:01 AM CST

Big Bequest Puts Wealthy Dog at Risk

A massive $12 million trust established by hotel heiress Leona Helmsley under her will to take care of her beloved dog, Trouble, has created problems for the well-to-do canine after Helmsley’s death earlier this year. Kidnappers and blackmailers reportedly have threatened the 4½ pound Maltese after news of her big…

Dec 4, 2007 4:36 PM CST

Supporters Rally Round Dog While Worker Recovers From Mauling

Thousands of people have petitioned New Jersey’s governor for a pardon for a dog named Congo sentenced to die for mauling a landscaper. The German shepherd attacked Giovanni Rivera as he arrived with a crew of day laborers at the home of Guy and Elizabeth James. Among the injuries he…

Nov 30, 2007 5:18 PM CST

Cat Killer in a Peck of Trouble Over Piper Plovers

The trial of a Texas bird-watching enthusiast for killing a cat turns on whether the victim, named Mama Cat, was feral. James M. Stevenson, the founder of the Galveston Ornithological Society, is being prosecuted under a law that bars the killing of cats “belonging to another,” the New York Times…

Nov 14, 2007 4:25 PM CST

100 Protest N.J. Dog’s Death Sentence

More than 100 people protested outside Princetown Township Municipal Court in New Jersey over a judge’s order to euthanize a dog. The 2-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd named Congo was determined to be vicious after he attacked and mauled a landscaper who came into his yard last June, reports an ABC-affiliated station…

Nov 13, 2007 11:59 PM CST

Cruelty Charge Over Pet Pig’s Weight Gain

While being cared for by a sitter as her owner was recovering from ankle surgery, a pet pig in Minnesota did what came naturally. She ate. And ate. And ate some more. All told, Alaina Templeton, a 5-year-old pet potbellied pig, tripled her size in nine months, chomping her way…

Nov 7, 2007 8:00 PM CST

Beast Practices

High-profile cases are putting plenty of bite into the lively field of animal law

Nov 1, 2007 7:48 PM CDT

Legal Loophole in Deer Custody Case

Snowball is headed back home—for now. Because of a legal loophole, the disabled deer raised by a Molalla, Ore., family after they found her as a fawn along a road five years ago has been saved, as the family sees it, from being sent by the state to an elk…

Oct 27, 2007 12:01 AM CDT

Prosecutors Recommend Law Prof as Pit Bull Guardian

Prosecutors are asking a federal judge to appoint a law professor to serve as a guardian for 48 pit bulls seized from property owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Prosecutors say Rebecca Huss, a professor at Valparaiso University law school, should have the authority to find interim shelter for…

Oct 16, 2007 2:30 PM CDT

Suit Planned in Deer Custody Case

A lawyer for an Oregon family who nursed a deformed deer back to health after finding her as a fawn on a road five years ago says his clients are considering a lawsuit to regain custody of the animal. The pet deer, known as Snowball, was taken about a month…

Oct 12, 2007 9:14 PM CDT

Dog Gets Its Day With Order of Protection

A Connecticut judge has issued an order of protection for a dog named Riley. Cassandra Reynolds must stay 100 yards away from the golden retriever after her arrest for allegedly kicking the dog in a dispute with her ex-husband, the New York Times reports. The judge issued the order Sept.…

Oct 3, 2007 4:44 PM CDT

New Interest in Estate Planning for Pets

Only a select few are able to follow Leona Helmsley’s lead and leave a pet $12 million as part of an estate plan. But news of the massive trust she set up for her dog—to whom the hotel and real estate magnate gave more than any other individual beneficiary—is helping…

Sep 4, 2007 3:41 PM CDT

Helmsley Will: Dog Gets $12 Million

Leona Helmsley’s dog, a Maltese named Trouble, is to get the benefit of $12 million under the luxury hotel queen’s will. The money is to be in trust, of course, since animals can’t directly hold funds. Helmsley, who died last week at age 87, also left $10 million to her…

Aug 29, 2007 2:55 PM CDT