[...]... to catch rats, herd sheep, or guard houses, but that’s the way it was Because dogs weren’t “property,” it wasn’t illegal to steal them under the common law It took an act of Parliament (or a state legislature, in this country) to make stealing a dog a crime And even when a legislature did act, the result wasn’t always a paragon of logic: in England at one time, it was a felony to steal a dog’s collar... is accurate But luckily for all of us who like to speculate, we may never know for sure Experts differ on just when dogs were domesticated Some say the evidence indicates domestication as far back as 14,000 years ago Almost all agree that the dog was the first—by as much as several thousand years—domesticated animal What wild animal metamorphosed into the modern dog—an animal we now know so well that... fees are higher for animals that have not been spayed or neutered Some places have raised fees for unaltered animals substantially to encourage people to get their pets spayed or neutered In King County, Washington, for example, licenses for unaltered animals cost $60—but owners also get a $25 voucher, accepted by most local veterinarians, toward the cost of spaying or neutering 20 | Every Dog’s Legal. .. Therapists and administrators now routinely use animals to treat or manage such patients.8 But for the most part, animals entered into the world of psychological therapy serendipitously One psychiatrist, for example, happened to have his dog in his office when a young patient came early for an appointment; the dog became an integral part of the child’s therapy In the 1970s, an entire course of research was... The crackdown can be traced to urbanization: As dogs and people compete for space, the trend is for cities to put more restrictions on dogs and, sometimes, to limit the number or kind of dogs that city dwellers may have This chapter looks at the basic areas of government regulation that affect most dog owners Special rules for assistance dogs Many local laws don’t apply to assistance dogs trained to... hardly at all So “dog law” varies every time you cross a city boundary Obviously, no one book can tell you what the law is in every town in the country But we can tell you what to look for and what to expect, and steer you to the right place or people so you can find it yourself In fact, the local nature of dog law is usually an advantage when you’re trying to find out the rules in your town Your legal. .. behavior in children, who may grow to be more nurturing adults • Pet owners have a higher one-year survival rate following coronary heart disease • Having a pet may decrease heart attack mortality by 3% This translates into 30,000 lives saved annually • Children exposed to pets during the first year of life have a lower frequency of allergic rhinitis and asthma • Children who own pets score significantly... not, the original idea was not to have them chase mechanical rabbits 6 | Every Dog’s Legal Guide around a track.) Other hounds—bassets, beagles, and bloodhounds, for example—got their extraordinarily keen noses, which enable them to trail prey Herding dogs such as collies and sheepdogs were bred for intelligence and the herding instinct Toy poodles, Chihuahuas, and other tiny dogs are scaled-down versions... property, so that instead of owners they would have guardians (A few places, including Boulder, Colorado, Berkeley, California, and the state of Rhode Island, now refer to pet owners as guardians.) But a radical departure from traditional law—which would, among other things, allow pets to own property—is extremely unlikely to happen anytime soon Endnotes 1 “Going to the Cats,” by Cullen Murphy, Atlantic Monthly... landlord, who told me I could have a dog, evict me for violating the no pets clause in the form lease I signed? This book answers many common questions, or shows how to find the answers as quickly and easily as possible 2 | Every Dog’s Legal Guide Most law that governs animals is local: it is controlled by cities and counties State law is involved to a lesser, but increasing, degree, and federal law . 90 If a Dog Injures a Veterinarian 90 Veterinarians’ Duty to Treat Animals 92 Euthanasia 93 Complaining About a Vet 93 Veterinary Malpractice 94 Other Lawsuits Against Veterinarians 101 6 Traveling. situations in which we think that’s a good idea—consult an attorney licensed to practice in your state. please note 6th edition Every Dog’s Legal Guide A Must-Have Book for Your Owner by Mary.