LOS ANGELES (Audacy) — A California lawmaker wants to make sure cats and dogs are given a bill of rights.
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) authored the “Dog and Cat Bill of Rights,” which he said “creates an environment for them so they’re not exploited, there’s no cruelty, they could live a life of comfort, exercise, food, clean water.”
He introduced the bill last month.
“In a perfect world, we would know there would be no cruelty to animals, but we live in a world the way it is and we’re trying to do our part by establishing a bill of rights for dogs and cats,” he said.
Related
While there is an established law in the state that makes it a crime to put pets in a situation of abuse or neglect, Santiago said his bill of rights is about giving animals basic rights.
“There is something to establish rights for a living creature in this case, a dog or cat because that changes the conversation to understand that ‘I’m not gonna throw this dog out into the backyard when it’s raining ‘cause it’s a dog,” he said.
“It has basic rights. The right not to be in cruel situations and sometimes that can be putting a dog out in the middle of the cold or in the middle of the rain. Like anyone else it should have rights.”
