Story by Rebecca West
We’re on a global roll, humankind! As of November 2019, at least 33 countries have formally recognized non-human animal sentience. In alphabetical order, they are Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
In 2022, when Spain legally recognized animals as “sentient beings” with emotions rather than as “property,” it went so far as classifying them as family members whose well-being would be considered above all else in legal matters, including custody cases.
In early January of this year, we posted on our social media pages about the fact that in October 2025, Colombia passed a new law requiring schools to teach animal care, respect, and protection to children. Teaching kids early is key to societal change, no matter where you live or what the subject matter.
The Congress of Colombia gave the green light to the “Empathy Law,” an initiative that marks a milestone in environmental education and animal welfare. The measure incorporates respect and care for animals and nature at all levels of the educational system, from preschool to secondary education.
The Empathy Law stipulates that content on animal welfare be incorporated transversally into the School Environmental Projects, the Citizen Environmental Education Projects, and the Inter-institutional Environmental Education Committees.
This integration will allow topics of animal protection, responsible ownership, and biodiversity conservation to be present in everyday school subjects and activities. Teaching children to be kind to pets from a very early age is something we routinely remind people about.
To learn more about Colombia’s efforts to bring about change, follow this link: https://noticiasambientales.
Halfway across the globe, Denmark is the frontrunner, having instituted similar measures nearly 30 years ago, with mandatory weekly empathy classes as a regular part of the curriculum for schoolchildren aged 6 to 16. These frequently include lessons on kindness toward animals. The sessions focus predominantly on emotional intelligence and compassion to ensure students better understand what animals are capable of feeling.
In January, it was noted that France had updated its moral and civic education (EMC) program so that children start learning respect for pets and basic animal care from as early as CP, the first year of primary school. The curriculum now includes “respect due to companion animals,” alongside lessons about respecting living things and the environment. The goal is to help children see animals as sensitive, living beings, not disposable toys, and to build empathy early to prevent mistreatment later on in life. This aligns with strict laws that treat animal abandonment as a significant crime there.
And these are just a few examples of the rapid changes that have come about in recent decades regarding how we, as a society, should treat and view animals. While it’s sad that it’s come down to legislation forcing the change, the changes are welcome nonetheless.
The influence has spurred meaningful welfare efforts for both domestic pets and wildlife. For instance, green bridges and eco-ducts seem to have exploded around the world. Commonly known as wildlife crossings, the concept is said to have originated in France in the 1950s.
According to estimates cited in a Nat Geo piece, “automobile collisions kill more than a million animals every day, making them the leading cause of death for many vertebrate species.” It goes on to discuss how major thoroughfares and other forms of development can subdivide animal populations and splinter their habitats, making it difficult for them to forage for food and locate potential mates for furthering vital species populations.
Here in Arizona, at least 20 wildlife travel corridors, including 17 underpasses, using funnel fencing have been constructed since 2000. Their use has reportedly brought about a 90 percent reduction in wildlife-related highway accidents along I-17 south of Flagstaff and on SR 260 east of Payson, lowering elk-vehicle collisions by 98 percent over six years. Just north of Tucson, a wildlife bridge and underpass along Oracle Road between the Santa Catalina and Tortolita Mountains has significantly reduced collisions, according to ADOT.
In a further show of conscience regarding vehicle strikes, England has a law making it mandatory to report accidents involving dogs and work animals. A proposal there known as Athena’s Law aimed to make it a legal requirement to stop and seek veterinary care, with potential fines for failing to do so, but it’s not yet passed.
Turkey has one of the most innovative and forward-thinking programs we’ve heard of to date, and it’s not new. Istanbul, known as the city of cats and for its care of street animals, has a vast number of strays, most of which have no reliable source of fresh food or water. This knowledge led one individual to design vending machines for feeding strays while encouraging recycling. The incredibly successful plan utilizes large box-like structures that contain pet food and potable water.
Produced through the family-run business Pugedon, the eco-friendly vending machines deliver meal-sized portions of cat or dog food in exchange for empty drinking bottles. The machines ultimately pay for themselves, as profits made from the recycled bottles cover the cost of the pet food, and the vending machines are solar powered, making the entire project a win-win for everyone involved.
In an interview with Der Spiegel, the inventor of the machine and Pugedon founder, Engin Girgin, stated, “My primary goal was to make people see that they don’t have to spend any money to help stray dogs. And I also wanted to show that people can do good deeds with things they would normally throw away.”
When we contacted him about using some images, he added, “To date, our machines are present in 37 countries worldwide, including Puerto Rico, Colombia, Greece, Bulgaria, Israel, Russia, Azerbaijan, Italy, Cyprus, Romania, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, and many more.” We live for stories like this, proving that one person can make a difference in the lives of many!
As an example of how seriously we’re taking our pets’ health and welfare to heart, Sweden’s Animal Welfare Act of 2008 notes that “dogs must have their social contact satisfied.” It adds that “dogs should be walked at least every six hours during the day, and more often for puppies and older dogs. It is not advisable for dogs to be left alone for an entire day without being walked until the owner comes home at the end of the day. It is important for dog owners to solve the walking issue in a satisfactory manner.” That rule later became part of the Swedish Agriculture Board’s code of statute, known as SJVFS 2019: 28.
To take it a step further, another rule included in the guidelines of SJVFS 2020: 8 states that pet parents need to check in on their dogs at least twice a day and that puppies under the age of four months should only be left alone for short periods. According to kinship.com, while the Swedish Board of Agriculture expects all Swedes to follow the guidelines, you won’t be hauled off to jail if you have to work late a few times.
When the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out, Ukrainian citizens went into overdrive trying to rescue stranded, injured, lost, and frightened animals. They even did what they could to relocate zoo animals from the war-torn country. Animals, like humans, suffer from fear, shock, and stress just as we do. It all boils down to the fact that we, as humans, love our animals and only want the best for them, no matter where we live or what’s going on.
Here in the U.S., changes are happening quickly as well. In 2021, a Cleveland man caused chemical burns to a stray kitten’s paws and was convicted of felony cruelty under Ohio’s Goddard’s Law. However, an appeals court overturned the ruling, claiming strays didn’t count as “companion animals.” On October 23, 2024, the Ohio Supreme Court (OSC) said a big hell no to that by unanimously ruling in a 7-0 decision that the law protects any dog or cat, whether they’re owned or stray.
The law was unfortunately inspired by actual cases where abused animals were adopted out again to the same offenders because of a lack of shared information. Depending on the severity of the offense and conviction, offenders can potentially be barred from owning pets for years or even permanently. Animal welfare groups were obviously overjoyed and praised the move as a long-overdue safeguard. Supporters of the OSC’s action fervently hope it sets a precedent for other states to follow as well.
In January, Florida created a law that blocks convicted animal abusers from adopting or buying cats and dogs by checking a public abuse registry first. The law, referred to as “Dexter’s Law,” creates a statewide, publicly accessible registry of people who have been convicted of serious animal abuse. Before a cat or dog can be adopted or sold, shelters, rescues, and sellers can check the database to make sure the animal is not being placed back into the hands of someone with a history of cruelty.
While the goal is to stop repeat abuse before it happens and to protect animals who aren’t able to fend for themselves, it can’t stop private transactions such as animals posted for free, or neighbors looking for homes for unexpected litters. But it’s a huge start and could cause those trying to find homes for an animal(s) or rehome one to check the database and explore the backgrounds of the individuals they’re considering giving or selling an animal to.
In case you’re wondering who’s at the top of the heap when it comes to protecting animals, Austria, Sweden, and Switzerland are routinely ranked as having the strictest animal abuse laws anywhere in the world, often receiving A grades on the Animal Protection Index. These three countries have strict laws prohibiting suffering and neglect, with Switzerland including the concept of “dignity of the animal” into its legislation.
Here in the U.S., Oregon is consistently ranked as the most proactive state for animal welfare in the country. In fact, they’ve earned the top spot for four consecutive years, including 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF). The state’s No. 1 status is said to be attributed to its comprehensive and frequently strengthened animal protection statutes.
While we still have a long way to go toward respecting our planet and creatures other than ourselves, we’re definitely making incremental progress, even if it doesn’t seem like it at times. If you’d like to learn more about global animal laws or where a particular country stands on the issue, you can visit https://www.globalanimallaw.
