June 18, 2025 – Do your clients ask you about including their pets in their estate planning, or what state or local laws define and govern service animals? What about animals involved in a divorce?
State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE® is proud to offer a new stand-alone book, the
Animal Law Handbook that will help you provide answers to your clients. This new book is excerpted from PINNACLE’s two-volume
Wisconsin Attorney’s Desk Reference.
This handbook provides an introduction and overview of animal law, which encompasses many different substantive areas of law (including constitutional, criminal, tort, and contract law) and is affected by federal and state statutes and regulations, as well as local ordinances.
Find discussions on Wisconsin-specific statutes, regulations, and cases, as well as the differences among animal law, animal rights, and animal welfare.
For example, for animals involved in a divorce,
Animal Law Handbook has this to say:
Because Wisconsin characterizes animals as the personal property of their owners, determinations of who retains possession of an animal are typically made pursuant to the property division statute,
Wis. Stat. § 767.61.
Animal Law Handbook explores in detail Wis. Stat. chapters 951 (Crimes Against Animals) and 173 (Animals Generally and the Powers of Humane Officers), as well as the intersection of tort law and animal law (including veterinary malpractice versus general negligence, alternative causes of action, injuries and damage caused by animals, and emotional distress claims).
Find information on Wisconsin laws pertaining to wildlife management, endangered species, farmed animals, animals in experimentation, racing and on-track pari-mutuel wagering, and civil liability for equine activities, among other topics. Also, attorneys can find pertinent (animal-related) information on local ordinances, contract law, family law and estate planning.
Thank you, PINNACLE Author Jennifer L. Amundsen!
The State Bar of Wisconsin thanks author
Jennifer L. Amundsen for generously contributing her time and expertise to write and update the material about animal law from the
Wisconsin Attorney’s Desk Reference. Her experience and insights have helped to create this new book that will be useful and impactful for attorneys and paralegals working in the area of animal law.
Jennifer L. Amundsen, U.W 2003, is founder and principal at Amundsen Law Firm, LLC, Madison.
