Re-Classifying Dogs as Sentient Beings: It's Time, America, It's Time (The Huffington Post)

Last week, Quebec welcomed pets into the circle of "sentient" beings by granting them many of the same rights as children in the eyes of the law. The legislation, hailed as the "Animals are Not Things Manifesto" lifts the legal status of specific animals from mere property, i.e. inanimate objects like toaster ovens and iPhones that can be manipulated any which way, to sensitive, emotional beings that require nurturing and respect...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-hodgson/reclassifying-dogs-as-sen_b_8717888.html