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By Liz O'Connell
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Oregon has been named the top state for animal protection laws for the third year in a row, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s newly released 2025 rankings report.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) began tracking animal protection laws 20 years ago, ranking each state based on the strengths and weaknesses of animal protection statutes. These annual rankings measure how well states protect animals from abuse, neglect and exploitation, while also highlighting new trends or laws in animal welfare. This year, the country saw a surge in cat declawing bans and expanded authority for rescuing animals in emergencies, the ALDF reported.
This year's top five states with the strongest animal protection laws include Oregon, Massachusetts, Maine, Illinois and Colorado, while Mississippi, Kentucky, Idaho, Alabama and North Dakota round out the bottom of the list.
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"This report represents 20 years of incredible progress in creating and expanding protections for animals of all kinds in states all across this country, as well as in the U.S. territories," ALDF Executive Director Chris Green said in a press release. "These advancements are thanks to the persistent hard work of animal advocacy organizations, lawmakers, and members of the public who have worked together to help create essential protections for the animals we cherish—and who all deserve the right to live free from harm. There’s always more to do to expand, strengthen, and enforce animal protection laws, but this report shows that momentum is on our side, and accelerating."
Oregon Tops List
Oregon’s broad scope of criminalized conduct—including abuse, neglect, abandonment, sexual assault and animal fighting—and the enforcement of these laws has helped keep the state in the top five for two decades.
Oregon is also the only state with statutes specifically recognizing that animals are sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, stress and fear, which has been cited by the state's Supreme Court in several cases that have helped advance animals' status.
However, the ALDF notes there are gaps within Oregon's animal protection laws. The state's definition of "animal" does not include invertebrates. Oregon has not adopted a courtroom animal advocate program into the legal system, which would allow trained representatives to speak for animal victims in court.
North Dakota's Room For Growth
At the other end of the rankings, North Dakota placed last for the third consecutive year, with ALDF citing the outdated statutory language and missing safeguards as reasons for the weakest state.
The report says North Dakota is one of 11 states lacking clear sexual assault of animals provisions. The state also does not explicitly authorize judges to order possession bans, or post-conviction sentencing that prohibits an offender from owning, possessing or residing with an animal. The laws do not address practices such as extreme farm animal confinement and cosmetic surgical procedures, such as declawing or devocalization.
Most Improved States
This year's largest jumps in enacting stronger animal protections are in Nevada and Tennessee.
Nevada rose five places to 26th, largely in part of the state enacting "Reba's Law," a bill named after an English bulldog who tragically died in July 2024 after being left inside a sealed, plastic tub in 110-degree heat, an article from 8 News Now reports. This law increased penalties for fatal cruelty cases, created a good Samaritan provision allowing citizens to rescue animals from unattended vehicles in certain emergencies and strengthened requirements for psychological evaluation and treatment of offenders.
Meanwhile, Tennessee jumped four spots to 19th due to a new law requiring mental health evaluations for adults convicted of animal cruelty before sentencing. The state further clarified the abandonment statute and added animal fighting offenses to its racketeering framework.
National Trends
The ALDF report saw significant growth in animal laws nationwide. Over the past two decades, the share of jurisdictions allowing courts to impose animal ownership bans after cruelty convictions has risen from about 41 percent in 2005 to more than 82 percent today. Laws allowing animals to be included in domestic violence protection orders grew from none in 2005 to more than three-quarters of jurisdictions in 2025.
Cat declawing, an elective surgical procedure that removes the last bone of each toe, became the most notable trend in 2025, with California, Massachusetts and Rhode Island enacting the ban on the procedure, making it six states in total and the District of Columbia. These laws generally prohibit declawing except when it is medically necessary for the animal’s health.
Across the country, the ALDF saw a growing trend in "emergency rescue and relief" laws, allowing law enforcement—and in some cases civilians—to intervene when an animal faces imminent danger, such as being removed from hot vehicles.
Beyond the core rankings, ALDF also highlighted additional legislative victories in 2025 that fall outside the report’s scoring scope, including disaster-planning laws for pets, expanded housing protections for animal owners, wildlife crossing initiatives and new restrictions on certain animal uses in entertainment and commercial sales.
Need For Improvement
While the rankings show significant gains in animal protection laws over the past two decades, ALDF says gaps remain across many state statutes, particularly around reporting requirements, post-conviction ownership bans and emergency intervention authority.
The organization said continued legislative updates and enforcement tools will be key to strengthening protections nationwide in the years ahead.
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