“Non Human Animals and the Law: A Bibliography of Animal Law Resources at the Stanford Law Library” by Rita and Paul Lomio is available on Stanford Law School’s Robert Crown Library website. The 40-page, annotated bibliography includes books, reports, articles, recordings and films, and web resources. It is among the 14 papers in the Robert Crown Library’s Legal Research Paper Series.

Recent news stories in the New York Times about animal law include a September 3, 2006, article by Warren St. John, “New Breed of Lawyers Gives Every Dog His Day in Court” and Jesse McKinley’s October 2 article about recent pro-animal legislation in California, “Series of Laws Toughen Animal Protection in California.” St. John’s article describes the kind of legal work involved in representing the interests of pet owners and pets themselves: fighting eviction notices; drafting and defending a trust for the care of an animal after its owner’s death. Pro-animal legislation from California’s 2005-2006 legislative session includes:

SB1578 prohibiting dog tethering
SB1806 concerning leaving animals unattended in vehicles
SB1349 increasing the penalties for illegal animal fights

The New York Times is available on both Westlaw (NYT) and Lexis (NEWS;NYT).  California.bestfriends.org is a website that provides animal news, including an item about the California animal welfare bills, above. The Animal Legal Defense Fund is in Cotati, California.