This course provides an introduction to issues and laws pertaining to the rights of animals, including: the different statutory and non-statutory definitions of the term “animal,” their evolution, and the significance of these changes; the general and specific legal status of animals is considered; the history of the legal status and rights of two other types of property that belong to the tangible sentient personal property category (slaves and minor unemancipated children), and how the criminal law did, and does, intersect with the property owner’s right in this category of personal property. The course will then examine specific contemporary “rights” of animals with respect to freedom from abuse, neglect and cruelty, in situations involving companion/pet animals, sporting (including fighting), racing, hunting, and entertainment.