In Dog We Trust
This and other news for the week ending April 25, 2025
In other news: A new study proves they really are our best friends. State proposes ending insurance discrimination against dogs and their families. Do you have what it takes to save lives? Communities are looking for someone to run their animal shelters. A proposed federal law threatens animals in factory farms and dogs farmed in mills. Adopt a pet, get $750 in tax credits. Unreasonable police shooting of a dog is a constitutional violation. The end of Northern California horse racing. City criminalizes compassion towards cats and cat lovers. Twelve states now ban the use of wild animals in circuses and other traveling acts. Administration proposes weakening the Endangered Species Act. Volunteers criticize a new spay and abort policy.
These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:
They really are our best friends
A recent study found that people who live with dogs rate their relationships with those dogs higher than their relationships with most humans, including romantic partners and close friends. Participants consistently found their dogs to be more affectionate, more dependable, and less annoying than human companions. Researchers found the relationships between people and their dogs to be a mix of parent-child relationships and those between best friends, but without the drawbacks of either of those relationships.
While researchers opined that people liked the benefits of control over the relationship, it really isn’t about that, given that dogs have turned humanity into slaves, with humans doing all the work and dogs not expected to pay anything in return. Moreover, researchers also found that individuals with strong human relationships — which would indicate reciprocity not control — also tended to have stronger bonds with their dogs. The stronger their relationship with people, the stronger their relationship with their pups. As such, people don’t have close relationships with their dogs to make up for a lack of relationships with people. Instead, dogs complement rather than compensate for human connections.
Beyond emotional support, dogs offer significant health benefits. Interacting with dogs can help lower stress hormones, such as cortisol, and increase feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. Additionally, caring for a dog encourages physical activity, which is beneficial for both mental and physical well-being.
State proposes ending insurance discrimination against dogs and their families
The purpose of insurance is to provide peace of mind so that, even in the unlikely event that tragedy strikes, one is protected against loss. And if a new bill introduced in Connecticut becomes law, dog lovers in that state can also have that peace of mind. The legislation would prohibit insurance companies from discriminating against dog owners based on their pet’s alleged breed. Senate Bill 1386 would prevent insurers from canceling, refusing to issue or renew, or charging higher premiums for homeowners’ or renters’ insurance policies solely because of the breed or mix of breeds of a dog owned by the policyholder. This initiative addresses concerns that breed-specific insurance policies unfairly penalize responsible dog owners and contribute to housing insecurity.
The bill has garnered support from various stakeholders who argue that insurance coverage decisions should be based on a dog’s behavior rather than “breed.” Advocates highlight that many commonly restricted breeds are beloved family pets and that there is no conclusive data linking specific breeds to higher insurance claims. They contend that breed-based restrictions are arbitrary and do not accurately assess the risk posed by individual dogs. Indeed, studies have consistently found that breed tells us how dogs look, not how they behave. For “predicting some dog behaviors, breed is essentially useless, and for most, not very good.” For example, “the defining criteria of a golden retriever are its physical characteristics — the shape of its ears, the color and quality of its fur, its size — not whether it is friendly.” Likewise, the findings “cast doubt on breed stereotypes of aggressive dogs, like pit bulls.”