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Vanessa Shakib | Animals, Pets, & Law

@vanessashakib

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Animal lawyer ✨ (yes, that’s a thing)
News & commentary on our furry friends
co-founder @advancinglawforanimals

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What do you think? Would you like to see Ryder’s Law passed?

To recap, on Tuesday, a 16-year-old carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died in Central Park while still attached to the carriage. The union says he was examined by a vet in March and found fit for duty. He will now be taken to Cornell University to determine what happened.

Deniz is the second carriage horse to die in Central Park in less than ten months. A bill called Ryder’s Law — named after that 2022 horse — would have banned horse-drawn carriages in New York City and replaced them with electric alternatives. But that bill was defeated.

Now, following Deniz’s death, Ryder’s Law is being reintroduced.
New York City — this is the moment.

What do you think about horse-drawn carriages? by @vanessashakib

Hills I will die on as an animal lawyer🐾

Some people will disagree. That’s fine. But animals deserve someone who will fight for them. 💥

Which hill are you climbing with me?

🏷️animal law, animal rights, animal cruelty, pets, animal testing,
love, by @vanessashakib

For those of you that are new here, I’m Vanessa. I’m an animal lawyer. And yes, that’s a thing. 🐾❤️ #AnimalLawyer

Comment LAW to stay up to date on animals, pets, & the law.

& Check out my nonprofit law firm
@advancinglawforanimals for the latest on our cases. We sue companies, federal agencies, and government officials who break the law and harm animals. #AnimalsNeedLawyers by @vanessashakib

I have the best clients #AnimalLawyer #AnimalsNeedLawyers by @vanessashakib

Black cats aren’t unlucky. They’ve just been misunderstood for a very long time. 🐈‍⬛

If you’ve been thinking about adopting, a black cat would love to come home with you this Halloween. by @vanessashakib

Shout out to all my angels helping animals 🪽 by @vanessashakib

Bats, spiders, snakes, and rats get a bad rap every Halloween. But they’re the ones doing us favors. 🦇🕷️🐍🐀

Be kind to the animals you come across. by @vanessashakib

Animals can’t file a lawsuit. They can’t testify, hire an attorney, or call for help when something goes wrong. 🐾

Under the law, they’re mostly treated as property. So even when an animal is the victim, the case usually has to go through a human, and that human needs someone who knows how to make the argument.

That’s why animals need lawyers. by @vanessashakib

HUGE WIN FOR HORSES IN NYC! 🐴

On October 22, the New York City Council voted 40 to 7 to ban horse-drawn carriages. The law, called Romanch’s Law, is named after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, who died in June after being thrown from a runaway carriage in Central Park.

Mayor Mamdani has pledged to sign it, and the industry will be phased out by June 1, 2028.

It took decades of advocacy to get here. It took Ryder collapsing in 2022, Deniz dying this past June, and the death of a teenager. An effort to delay the phaseout until 2030 failed before the final vote.

The law includes transition support for the roughly 150 drivers who will lose their jobs, plus protections for the horses who will be retired. PETA has pledged $50,000 to help carriage horses retire.

The fight may not be over. The carriage drivers’ union says it will challenge the ban in federal court and ask for a temporary restraining order as soon as the bill is signed. The law says the city must consider compensating owners for their licenses and equipment, but payment isn’t guaranteed. I expect that to be the center of the union’s legal argument.

As an animal lawyer who has watched this fight for years, this is what it looks like when advocacy works. People kept showing up, kept making noise, and refused to accept “not yet” as the final answer.

The Council has voted, the mayor has pledged to sign, and New York City’s horse-drawn carriage industry is on its way out. by @vanessashakib

I’m an animal lawyer, and yes, that’s a job. I post about all news; animals, pets, and the law. Feel free to follow along! by @vanessashakib

If you’re new here, let me introduce myself. I’m Vanessa Shakib. I’m an animal lawyer and the co-founder and co-director of Advancing Law for Animals, a nonprofit law firm that fights for animals in the courtroom.

I spent six years as a traditional lawyer before walking away from that career to do this. No roadmap. No guarantee it would work. Just a deep conviction that animals deserve someone who knows the law and isn’t afraid to use it.

I’ve sued federal agencies, government officials, companies, and even my alma mater, for breaking laws in ways that harm animals. But it’s not enough. That’s why I’m here to spread the word that animals need lawyers. And to let lawyers know that animal law is a thing. But I can’t do it without you.

Tune in for cases where justice was denied. Laws that protect abusers instead of animals. The legal loopholes that make cruelty possible. And the wins that remind me why this work is worth it.

If you found this page because of a video about a dog that was shot, or a horse that died, or a law that made you furious — welcome. You’re exactly who this page is for.

Follow along. The animals need more people in their corner. 🐾⚖️ by @vanessashakib

What happens to your pet when a relationship ends ... and you were never married?

In most states the law treats a shared pet like a piece of furniture. Whoever can prove legal ownership generally wins. It doesn’t matter who walked them every morning, paid every vet bill, or who they actually bonded with. The law focused on ownership. Not the animal’s wellbeing.

Illinois just changed that.

The Companion Animal Custody Equity Act — effective January 1, 2027 — allows courts to look at the full picture when unmarried couples, domestic partners, fiancés, cohabitants, or roommates dispute custody of a shared pet. Who did the daily care. Who paid for them. The emotional bond between each person and the animal. Which home gives the pet the most stability.

This is the first state law in the country to extend these protections specifically beyond divorce. A five year relationship, a dog you raised from a puppy ... that context finally has legal weight.

As an animal lawyer, this is what good legislation looks like. An animal is not a couch. Deciding who gets them shouldn’t be treated like dividing up the furniture.

Most states still haven’t done this. Illinois just led the way.

What other animal laws do you want to see passed? Drop them below. 🐾⚖️ by @vanessashakib