1. The Legislature finds and declares that: pets are important in the lives of their owners and are often integral to the owner’s well-being and emotional and mental health; a domestic companion animal, the term often used for a pet in State law, may provide companionship to its owner as important as the owner’s human companions and family members and, in some cases, may be the owner’s only companion in the household; a domestic companion animal is often as treasured as a family member; the loss of a domestic companion animal can be mourned with the same depth of emotion as the loss of a human family member and may have a profound effect on the mental health of an owner; organizations such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the National Association on Mental Illness have noted the effectiveness of animal therapy in treating or managing mental illness and the benefits attributed to the unconditional acceptance and affection received from interacting with an animal; because of the importance of a domestic companion animal to its owner its illness or death is traumatic for the owner, particularly when the owner authorizes euthanizing the animal; such trauma is unnecessarily exacerbated when the owner is not properly notified about procedures that are required in connection with the disposition of the remains of the domestic companion animal; and failure to forewarn the owner of any necessary dismemberment of the animal for public health reasons is wrongful and unnecessarily injurious to the owner.

The Legislature therefore determines that it is the public policy of the State to require those caring for an animal, including veterinarians and staff at animal hospitals, to: (1) clearly communicate to the owner the tests and procedures required and how the tests and procedures may affect the condition of the animal’s body after death; and (2) disclose whether the remains of the animal can be returned to the owner, and the condition of the those remains. The Legislature further determines that the importance of the connection between domestic companion animals and their owners needs to be recognized and addressed by those who treat animals, euthanize them, and handle their remains after death.

L.2021, c.436, s.1.