Helping Animals Through the Law

June 7th, 2007

by: Tamara McElyrea, vice president of Thomas M. Cooley Law School SALDF chapter
June, 2007

When we were children, we all sang, “How much is that doggy in the window? Arf, arf?” and dreamed about a little head popping out of a box tied with a bow on Christmas morning. But the stark reality is many of those puppies come from illegal puppy mills where the conditions are far from that cute nursery rhyme. Animals have no voice to convey the effects of urban sprawl, the brutality of animal fighting, torture endured at factory farms, or the senselessness of intentional acts of cruelty by owners. They have no voice to educate the community about the laws that have been enacted to protect them. They will now have a voice at Thomas M. Cooley Law School through the newly SBA-chartered Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF), which is a student chapter of the national Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) organization.

SALDF’s mission is (1) to provide a forum for education, advocacy, and scholarship aimed at protecting the lives and advancing the interests of animals through the legal system, and raising the profile of the field of animal law (2) to advocate policies and actions for animals that are compassionate and cruelty-free; and (3) to expand visibility, increase awareness and educate the Cooley community about legal and social issues concerning animals.

Michigan is one of the top five states for progressive anti-cruelty laws. All five states have legislated animal cruelty a felony crime, veterinarians must report instances of animal cruelty immediately, and courts can order abusers to undergo counseling. There are three schools in Michigan with active SALDF chapters; Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and the University of Detroit-Mercy, plus 96 other law schools nationwide with chapters. The field of animal law is not a narrow one but is ever expanding to include tort law, criminal law, family law, and environmental law.

SALDF plans to petition the school to add an Animal Law elective, sponsor speaker’s forums on Animal Law issues with the assistance of Attorneys for Animals and the Michigan Bar Association Animal Law Section, promote education to the student body on animal law issues, career opportunities, and how to effect social change through legal advocacy. SALDF plans to encourage collaboration with other SBA groups to promote education about the overlap between human and animal rights issues.

If you have a passion or interest in the protection of animals through the use of the law contact Kate Brindle, President SALDF, brindlek@cooley.edu to join the group.

A quote from Gandhi: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."