An Introduction to Animal Law

This is a guest post by Ashley Sundin who was an intern with the Law Library’s Public Services Division this summer.

Animal law is a rapidly growing area of law, especially in the past decade.  The human-animal interaction comes in a variety of forms including companionship, agriculture, and science.  As a result, animal law extends into many areas of law including criminal, torts, property, and constitutional law.

This guide will provide an overview of the resources available covering animal law, wildlife law, and animal rights and welfare.

Books

For Beginners

• Animal Law in a Nutshell by Pamela D. Frasch
• Introduction to Animals and the Law by Joan Schaffner
• Animal Rights: What Everyone Needs to Know by Paul Waldau
• Wildlife Law: A Primer by Eric T. Freyfogle & Dale D. Goble
• Animals and the Law: A Sourcebook by Jordan Curnutt
• Defending the Defenseless: A Guide to Protecting and Advocating for Pets by Allie Phillips

General

• Animal Rights Law by Margaret C. Jasper
• Animal Law: Cases and Materials by Bruce A. Wagman, Sonia S. Waisman, Pamela D. Frasch
• Animal Law and the Courts: A Reader by Taimie L. Bryant
• Animal Law: Welfare, Interests, and Rights by David S. Favre
• Wildlife Law: Cases and Materials by Dale D. Goble & Eric T. Freyfogle
• Pet Law by Margaret C. Jasper
• Every Dog’s Legal Guide: A Must-Have Book for your Owner by Mary Randolph
• Animals Confined for Human Benefit: A Legal Research Guide by Stefanie Pearlman and Melissa Serfass

Practice-Focused

The materials in this section explore animal law career options for those considering a career in animal law and provide litigation strategies for those currently working in this area of practice.

• Litigating Animal Law Disputes: A Complete Guide for Lawyers by Joan Schaffner & Julie Fershtman
• Careers in Animal Law: Welfare, Protection, and Advocacy by Yolanda Eisenstein
• Animal Cruelty & Fighting Publications by the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys

Foreign & International

• Global Guide to Animal Protection edited by Andrew Linzey
• Animal Law: Developments and Perspectives in the 21^st Century edited by Margot Michel, Daniela Kühne, & Julia Hänni
• International Issues in Animal Law: The Impact of International Environmental and Economic Law upon Animal Interests and Advocacy by Peter L. Fitzgerald
• Globalization and Animal Law: Comparative Law, International Law and International Trade by Thomas G. Kelch
• Animal Law in Australia and New Zealand by Deborah Cao
• Laboratory Animals: Regulations and Recommendations for Global Collaborative Research by Javier Guillén

State & Federal Law

You will find laws at the federal, state, and local levels that relate to animal law.  You can directly search for federal and state laws by consulting the United States Code and your local state statutory code.  Be sure to also take into consideration your local laws by consulting municipal codes. The Animal Legal Defense Fund site contains a finding aid that may prove helpful to locating legislation.

Cases

The following sites compile notable cases in the area of animal law.  You can also locate cases related to animal law using free sources on the web such as Google Scholar.  Alternatively, you can visit your local law library for access to subscription legal research databases such as Westlaw and LexisNexis.

• Animal Law Resource Center
• Michigan State University College of Law Animal Legal & Historical Center

Journals

• Animal Law Review, Lewis and Clark Law School
• Stanford Journal of Animal Law and Policy, Stanford University Law School
• Journal of Animal Law, Michigan State University College of Law
• Journal of Animal Law & Ethics, University of Pennsylvania Law School
• Journal for Critical Animal Studies, Institute of Critical Animal Studies

Subject Headings

You can also search the Library of Congress catalog by browsing subject headings for books on this topic. Click “browse” and use the drop-down to select “SUBJECTS beginning with” or “SUBJECTS containing,” and then input a subject heading using one of the examples shown below. Finally, click on a result and you can browse the materials classified under that subject heading.  Here are a few examples of possible subject headings:

• Animals–Law and legislation–United States
• Animals–Law and legislation–[Country]
• Animals–Law and legislation–[State]
• Animals–Law and legislation–United States–Cases
• Animal welfare–Law and legislation–United States
• Animal rights–United States
• Dogs–Law and Legislation–[Country]
• Dogs–Law and Legislation–[State]

Online Resources

• Animal Law Resource Center
• Michigan State University College of Law Animal Legal & Historical Center
• Animal Welfare Institute
• Animal Legal Defense Fund
• Institute for Critical Animal Studies
• American Bar Association Animal Law Section
• AALL Animal Law Caucus
• Animal Rights History

Update on September 24, 2014:  The post was updated to include a link to publications by the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.