State of Rhode Island Recognizes Animal Guardians

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MILL VALLEY, Calif. — On July 5, the state of Rhode Island passed legislation to become the first state to acknowledge the right of individuals to consider themselves the guardians of their companion animals. Both the House and Senate approved a bill that allows the term guardian to be used for a person having the same rights and responsibilities of an "owner," and both terms shall be used interchangeably.

Rhode Island joins Boulder, Colorado, and West Hollywood and Berkeley, California, in passing this important legislation. Last July, Boulder became the first city to pass a measure to replace the word "owner" with the term "guardian" in their municipal ordinances. In February 2001, West Hollywood, CA, followed suit, overwhelmingly approved a proposal to change all references of "animal owners" to "animal guardians" in their municipal ordinances. Two weeks later, Berkeley, CA, passed an ordinance recognizing guardianship in their ordinances. Berkeley City Councilmember Dona Spring called the passage "an important milestone in raising human consciousness."

This spring, students from Feinstein High School in Rhode Island initiated their state's guardian legislation. After learning about IDA's "They Are Not Our Property, We Are Not Their Owners" campaign, the students spontaneously began referring to themselves as the guardians of their companion animals, and their instructors contacted their state representative, Betsy Dennigan.

Representative Dennigan worked with the students, their teachers, and the Windwalker Humane Coalition for Professional Pet Assisted Therapy to develop the legislation. Fourteen-year old student Shanell Williams coordinated the efforts, and students Ruth Fortune and Richelle Francis testified before a House committee in April. Their testimony was so compelling that the bill passed the House easily. In June, the Senate approved the legislation. This landmark decision makes Rhode Island the first state in the nation to include the term guardian in all companion animal-related state legislation.

"Thanks to a compassionate legislature and the innate sensitivity and awareness of children, Rhode Island has become the first state in the nation to pass legislation that recognizes those of us who prefer to be the guardians of the animals we share our lives with, rather than their owners," said IDA President Elliot M. Katz. "By including the concept of guardianship in their state legislation, they have recognized those of us who believe that the status of animals should be raised beyond that of mere property to that of individuals with needs and interests of their own."

Read more about IDA's efforts to elevate the legal status of animals