Companion Animal Law Evolves To Protect People and Their Pets

After the passing of her beloved dog Deja, Professor Joyce Tischler was not sure when she would be ready to adopt again. Eventually, she found Teddy and Boo Boo, a bonded pair who had recently lost their person and needed a new home. Tischler opened hers; today she, Teddy, and Boo Boo are thriving together, each healing from loss in their own way.

This power of the human-animal bond is at the heart of the growing animal law movement and inspires the work of the Animal Law Program at Lewis & Clark Law School. Through the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS), the program has driven legal change for animals of all kinds for more than 17 years.

Companion Animals as Family

The movement to recognize animals’ legal status often begins close to home, with the dogs, cats, and other companion animals we live alongside. Despite 97% of U.S. pet owners viewing their animals as family members, companion animals are still legally considered property in the United States. This disconnect can lead to devastating consequences in a wide range of legal matters.

When a pet is wrongly injured or killed, the law often limits damages and fails to account for emotional distress. In family law cases, courts have historically treated companion animals as just another asset to be divided in a formulaic property division. And in domestic violence cases, this gap can be even more stark, as up to 89% of survivors report that their abuser has threatened, harmed, or killed a pet to exert control.

Many survivors delay leaving, or stay with an abusive partner, to protect their animals from harm.

Fortunately, the law is beginning to catch up with society’s changing values. Laws, court decisions, and policy reforms are starting to reflect the human-animal bond and treat companion animals not as property but as members of the family.

Legal Momentum in Companion Animal Law

Since 2017, eight states and the District of Columbia have passed laws requiring judges to consider the well-being or best interest of pets during divorce proceedings. Recent court decisions also recognize the depth of our bond with companion animals.

In a 2025 case, a New York judge ruled that a woman who witnessed her son’s dog, Duke, being fatally hit by a reckless driver, could sue the driver for emotional damages. Rather than exclude damages and dismiss her grief by considering Duke as property, the judge held that dogs are “immediate family,” bringing them within a “zone of interest” that allows for emotional damages. The landmark decision marked a rare legal acknowledgment that witnessing harm to a beloved pet can be as traumatic as witnessing harm to a human family member.

Similarly, in 2023 the Washington Supreme Court upheld a domestic violence conviction for a man who viciously beat and killed his girlfriend’s beloved dog, Mona. The defendant argued that because his actions were directed at an animal, not a person, they shouldn’t qualify for a domestic violence designation. The court disagreed, recognizing his intent to cause psychological harm to his girlfriend by exploiting the bond between her and Mona. The ruling affirmed that animal cruelty can and should be recognized as a form of domestic violence.

Lewis & Clark has been at the forefront of this transformation, driving progress in companion animal law. One notable example is the recent passage of the American Bar Association’s Resolution 504, which calls for stronger protections for pets in family law, civil restraining order proceedings, and emergency and transitional housing, ensuring that survivors of domestic violence are not forced to choose between their safety and their animals’ welfare.

CALS’ Executive Director Megan Senatori, who co-chairs the ABA’s Companion Animal Law Subcommittee and teaches Companion Animal Law, helped lead the effort. She also co-authored the resolution and report, working with a coalition of attorneys and supported by two Lewis & Clark JD students. Senatori testified before the 600 members of the ABA House of Delegates, which overwhelmingly adopted the resolution. Now, she is supporting the ABA in implementing it, advancing large-scale change for companion animals and their human families nationwide.

Lewis & Clark students explore these and other critical companion animal legal issues through courses like Companion Animal Law, the Law & Ethics of Animal Testing, and Crimes Against Animals. They study the policies that protect companion animals from cruelty, analyze loopholes that allow puppy mills to flourish, and advocate for alternatives to using companion animals in research and testing. Students also learn practical skills through experiential offerings like the Animal Law Clinic, where they work directly with clients to advance animal protections and support those who care for them.

Careers Rooted in the Human-Animal Bond

Ask any animal advocate what led them to pursue animal law, and you will hear a common refrain: They were inspired by the animals they love and live alongside.

Associate Dean of the Animal Law Program Pamela Byce is no exception.

Her career in animal protection began with Max, an abused German Shepherd mix she adopted from a New York City shelter. His story inspired her to pursue a career in animal law. Today, she shapes the curriculum and programming at CALS that help students build on their personal bonds with animals and channel their compassion into real-world results.

Associate Dean of the Animal Law Program Pamela Byce and CALS Executive Director Megan Senatori with dogs Cricket and Ranger.
Credit: C+N Photography

The program’s impact can be seen in the work of alumni, who are advancing companion animal protection through litigation, education, and policy change. Dr. Alba Michelle Gonzalez ’25, MSL, a forensic veterinarian, supports animal cruelty investigations, helping to secure justice for animals like Ganja, a dog who was beaten to death. Tara Cooley ’21, LLM has trained law students through Connecticut’s pioneering Courtroom Animal Advocate Program, which allows legal advocates to speak on behalf of animal victims in cruelty cases—work inspired by her dog, Donna.

Alumni are also advancing protections for companion animals globally. Julie Palais ’24, MSL is working to improve conditions for street dogs in Nepal, who are often subject to abuse. Dulki Seethawaka ’25, LLM is pursuing stronger regulations to protect dogs used in breeding operations in Sri Lanka as well as modernizing the country’s outdated animal protection laws. And Hanna Teresh ko ’23, LLM is advocating for companion animals impacted by the war in Ukraine, including providing evacuation assistance and urgently needed medical care. These are just a few examples of CALS’ broad reaching impact.

There for All Animals

While the journey into animal law often begins with a beloved companion animal, it rarely ends there. Once students recognize the legal vulnerabilities companion animals face, they often begin to see how other species—including farmed animals, wildlife, and aquatic animals—are equally in need of legal protection. When Byce was a law student herself, she says the process felt like, “pulling threads from a ball of yarn.” Each issue led to another, continuously revealing more of the vast and interconnected universe of animals in need of protection.

CALS animal law classes encompass all these areas, with more than 25 distinct course offerings, more than any other animal law program in the country. This depth and breadth attracts students from around the globe to Lewis & Clark Law School. Today, CALS alumni come from more than 30 countries across six continents, forming a global network of advocates advancing animal protection.

Graduates go on to serve in influential roles in nonprofits, government, academia, private practice, and policy advising. Their advocacy extends beyond companion animals to include the billions exploited through industrial animal agriculture, wildlife trafficking, trophy hunting, research and testing, entertainment, and more. This growing network of alumni also includes veterinarians, journalists, scientists, psychologists, and other non- lawyer professionals who bring their expertise to animal protection through the Animal Law master’s program.

Across CALS, students, alumni, faculty, and staff have found a greater purpose in protecting the most vulnerable members of our society. In so doing, they’ve found that the human-animal bond transcends species, a truth Tischler is now experiencing firsthand. An ardent advocate for farmed animals, she recently welcomed chickens to her family. Carlotta and the girls were rescued from a defunct egg-laying business and now spend their days outside enjoying the sun and taking dust baths. Carlotta has shown a keen interest in the human realm as well, often inviting herself into Tischler’s home as a living reminder of the bonds that connect us all.