10 Surprising Pet Laws You Might Not Know About

Americans love their pets. 68% of all households have at least one pet.

That’s 84.6 million pet-loving people.

And with pet ownership comes responsibility. You have to feed them, give them plenty of water, and make sure that your pet is healthy.

But you also have to make sure that you and your pet doesn’t break the law. While most Americans know it’s against the law for a pet to bite, there are other laws most of us aren’t even aware of.

To help you and your pet stay within the law, here are ten pet laws you need to know about.

1. Don’t Allow Fido to Bark After 6 pm in Little Rock

Yes, it’s true. There is actually a law in Little Rock, Arkansas that states you cannot allow your dog to bark after 6 pm.

This helps to curb continuous and annoying barking and howling. Since it’s one of the most frequent complaints Animal Control receives, it makes sense.

It’s considered the owner’s responsibility to keep their dog from barking so that it doesn’t bother the neighbors. They recommend having pet owners with barking dogs to buy a bark collar or a barking management system at their local pet store.

2. Don’t Allow Your Dog to Bark for Longer than 15 Minutes in Northbrook, IL

Pet laws in Northbrook, Illinois have declared that it’s illegal for dogs to bark for more than 15 minutes straight.

While at first glance, it might seem strange, when dogs bark for a long period of time, it can be an indication that something is wrong.

3. Pets Have Fair Warning About Trespassing in Denver

The pet laws sure are interesting in Denver, Colorado. Perhaps it’s just that they have very well educated dogs.

The law states that a dog catcher must notify dogs of impounding by posting a notice. Then notice has to be on a tree in a city park and/or along a public road through that park.

The notice must be there for three consecutive days. After that, a dog catcher is free to round up all dogs still ignoring the notice.

4. No Smelly Dogs in Illinois

Illinois loves its various pet laws. In Galesburg, if you have a smelly pet, you’re breaking the law.

Either this law came out after the song, “Smelly Cat” came out or it’s to help ensure dogs are not neglected.

5. Don’t Give Your Pet a Lit Cigar in Illinois

For many people, smoking and drinking go hand in hand. But if you’re in Illinois, you’d be breaking two pet laws.

It’s illegal to give your domesticated animal a lit cigar. This is actually a statewide law.

6. You Can’t Educate Your Pet in Hartford, CT

I guess no one wants the dogs of Hartford, Connecticut to become too uppity. Their pet laws state that no one can to educate their dogs.

The reason behind this law remains unclear. Perhaps they worry that all the educated dogs would leave Connecticut and head to NYC for a career in TV.

7. Pet Laws State No Whiskey For Pets in Chicago

If you haven’t figured out that you shouldn’t give your dog alcohol, this law in Chicago, Illinois will remind you. Except that it only pertains to whiskey and no other type of alcohol.

Luckily, this one is usually easy since most animals don’t like the taste of alcohol. However, if your pet does end up imbibing, keep in mind that they are much smaller and weigh far less than you do.

That means the alcohol will affect them to a much higher degree than it can affect you.

If your pet does get drunk and injuries occur, you can be liable. At that point, it’s a smart idea to consult with a personal injury attorney.

8. The Fair Housing Act

While most of these are silly pet laws, the Fair Housing Act of 1988 is one intended for good reasons. It requires apartments and housing communities that would ordinarily restrict pets to make an accommodation for Emotional Support Animals (ESA).

The emotional support animal laws help those people who struggle with emotional and psychological disabilities.

What this means is that if you’re a verified ESA owner, no one can deny you housing just because you own a pet. It’s similar to housing laws that prohibit people from denying housing to disabled persons based on their condition.

However, you can’t just state that you have an ESA. You must first have a diagnosed disability. You must also provide documentation to the property owner or housing representative.

9. The Air Carrier Access Act

The Air Carrier Access Act has been in the press a lot lately. Recently, a passenger actually tried to claim that a peacock was their ESA.

As a result of people trying to bring the peacock and other rather strange pets on airlines as ESAs, the airline industry is now reviewing and changing their policies.

This act was originally passed in 1990. It’s designed to prohibit discrimination of disabled people traveling by air.

The Air Carrier Access Act states that airlines can’t refuse transportation, limit, or require advance notice before offering service to disabled people.

However, ESA owners must provide verified identification.

The Air Carrier Act also restricts airlines from charging fees for accommodating disabled persons with an ESA.

10. Cats Don’t Chase Dogs Up Telephone Poles

Lest you think that dogs are the only animals with some crazy pet laws written about them, here’s one about cats.

In International Falls, Minnesota, it’s against the law for cats to chase dogs up telephone poles. Since most dogs can’t climb but cats can, this law seems to be in reverse of what most of us would think is normal.

When You or Your Pet Breaks the Law

Given that most of these pet laws are completely silly, it stands to reason that you or your pet may inadvertently break the law at some point.

But there are other laws, like the Fair Housing Act, that is really important for all of us to comply with. Many individuals truly require the emotional support only an animal can provide.

When someone breaks the law, it’s a good idea to consult with a lawyer. Use our site to find the best attorney for your needs in your area.