Gandhi told us that the “greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” In an effort to put this maxim into practice, federal, state, and local governments throughout the United States have long tried to regulate the protection of animals from abuse, neglect, and related misconduct. The animal law team of KHK has extensive experience representing and advising animal shelters and governmental actors in how to approach their day-to-day work with our nation’s animal population. On behalf of shelters, we have comprehensive trial experience involving animal seizure and custody fights stemming from local prosecutorial initiatives asserting animal abuse. The lawyers on our animal law team also counsel shelters and animal rescues on how best to approach their business operations and to avoid litigation. As we like to say, it is not enough to be known as the “nice dog and cat people.”
Running a shelter or rescue takes more than a good heart: it entails good business acumen and an understanding of how a facility’s operation interrelates with other constituencies, including governmental actors, other shelters and rescues, and the owners of impounded and stray animals who cross the threshold of our clients’ doors. Team members regularly speak and write on animal law topics, including such things as shelter finances and best practices as well as the rules governing law enforcement and humane officers in their efforts to protect our nation’s four-legged (and other) friends.