STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Many of the animal-related laws on the books in the US were written long ago and have virtually no application in today’s world
- Some of our earliest laws governing animal behavior and human behavior toward animals are truly head-scratchers
- Several ordinances target specific animals and settings, such as banning flamingos from barbershops or restricting gorillas to the front seat of a car
- A handful of laws set oddly literal rules, including a required parking fee for elephants tied to meters and mandatory taillights for roaming cats
- Many statutes reflect long-standing local customs, from nighttime barking curfews to bans on frightening pigeons
Editor's Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published October 17, 2015.
There are a lot of nutty laws on the books, but some of the most bizarre city ordinances and state statutes ever written concern animal behavior or human behavior toward animals.
Is That a Gorilla in Your Back Seat?
Pet360 offers up these doozies:1
- If you visit barbershops in Juneau, Alaska, don’t even think about bringing your flamingo with you.
- If you live in Arkansas and your cow likes to stroll down Main Street on Sunday mornings, just make sure he’s home before 1:00 pm. And in Little Rock, all dogs must stop barking after 6:00 pm.
- In Colorado, animal control officers must post a notice on a tree for 3 days prior to impounding a stray dog. Presumably that's to give dogs who can read a heads-up.
- There are probably no such signs in Hartford, Connecticut, however, because it’s against the law there to educate dogs.
- If you’re in Columbus, Georgia with an intact female cat, it’s your responsibility to insure neither she nor her male friends howl after 9:00 pm.
- If you’re fishing in Idaho, take care not to do it while sitting on a camel.
- If you attend the opera in Chicago, don’t expect to see any Poodles, as they’re not allowed. And Maryland residents who go to the movies must leave their pet lions at home.
- Under no circumstances should horses in Iowa be allowed to eat fire hydrants.
- Gorillas in Massachusetts may sit in the front seat only, never in the back seat of any car.
- Photographers in Wyoming are prohibited from snapping pictures of rabbits from January to April. Unless they have an official permit, of course.
Where Do They Sell Taillights For Kitties?
Online magazine Dogtime.com collected these jewels:2
- In California, it’s against the law for animals to make whoopee within 500 yards of a church or school.
- If you’re a feral or indoor/outdoor cat in Sterling, Colorado, you must put on your taillight before roaming the neighborhood.
- One town in Oklahoma prohibits gatherings of dogs in groups of 3 or more on private property unless they get a signed permit from the mayor. In another Oklahoma town, it’s illegal for humans to make “ugly faces” at dogs. (I kind of like that one!)
- Under no circumstances are cats allowed to chase dogs up telephone poles in International Falls, Minnesota.
- In the town of Barber, North Carolina, cats and dogs are prohibited from fighting each other.
Are There Whales in Nebraska?
TheDogPlace has an extensive list of “outrageous, crazy, and positively silly laws,” including:3
- If you live in Arizona, you should know that it’s illegal to hunt camels, and your donkey cannot sleep in the bathtub.
- In Hollywood (the one in California), it’s illegal to drive more than 2,000 sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at one time.
- If you ride your elephant to town in Florida and tie him to a parking meter while you run errands, be advised that the parking fee must be paid just as it would for a vehicle. If you live in Georgia, it’s against the law to tie your giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp (no mention of a parking meter, however). If you reside in Louisiana, you may not tie your alligator to a fire hydrant.
- In Zion, Illinois, you are prohibited from offering your lighted cigar to your dog, cat, or other pet.
- In Massachusetts, it’s illegal to frighten a pigeon. (I like this one, too!)
- In Nebraska, it’s against the law to go whale fishing.
- If you live in Nevada, you should know that driving your camel on the highway is prohibited.
- In Marysville, Ohio, it’s illegal for dogs to urinate on parking meters. (Oddly, there are no parking meters in Marysville.) And in Paulding, a police officer may bite a dog to quiet him. (Good luck with that one!)
- In Pennsylvania, if you’re driving your vehicle and see a horse in the roadway, you must pull over to the side of the road and cover your vehicle with canvas. If the horse is still spooked by your car, you must start taking it apart piece-by-piece until he calms down.
- In Utah, birds have the right-of-way on all highways.
