Law Student Applies Skills to Help Minnetonka Animals

Now in her second year at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Meredith Price is putting her skills toward giving back by working to improve local animal protection laws.

Price is married to Charlie Ahlquist– a Minnetonka native– and enjoys regular visits to see her in-laws in Minnetonka. The natural beauty of Minnetonka is what sets the city apart from others, according to Price. She enjoys ice fishing and hiking in the city parks.

As a part of her coursework for a legislative clinic in animal law, Price has drafted and submitted a proposal to the which would protect wild animals by ensuring that they are not fed harmful food by the public and would improve the tethering laws for dogs.

Price is not alone in her interest in the growing field of animal law. Approximately 120 law schools in the United States now offer an animal law course—the list of schools which offer instruction continues to expand, and includes such institutions as Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Northwestern, University of Michigan, William Mitchell, Hamline and Duke.

Motivated by her passion for improving animal welfare laws and the importance of local activism, Price appreciates that regardless of which avenue of the law she ultimately chooses as a focus, her familiarity with animal law will serve her well. Animal law comes into play in a wide range of legal arenas—examples include pet custody claims, veterinary malpractice, criminal animal abuse, housing/landlord disputes, wildlife habitat protection and estate planning.

A 2010/2011 survey by the American Pet Products association found that 62 percent of the households in the United States provide a home for at least one pet. Price is hoping to make a difference for Minnetonka’s portion of that statistic. You can read her proposal and leave your comments here.